On Wednesday, the president of the Chamber of Senators -and vice president of the Republic-, Beatriz Argimón, left to attend the commemoration of the Battle of Las Piedras with Luis Lacalle Pou. As appropriate, she gave her place to the senator for the Broad Front, Amanda Della Ventura, who wore a T-shirt with the phrase “We are all relatives”, alluding to the fight for the search for the truth for the detained and disappeared victims. of state terrorism.
Della Ventura was about to start the session when the senator for the National Party, Gustavo Penadés, prevailed to protest that the entire National Party bench was in disagreement about the use of the shirt. “You have every right to enter the room with the shirt you see fit, we have never set a condition in that regard, [pero] at the moment he becomes president of the Senate he is representing us all. The bench of senators of the National Party wants to record that you, in this way, are not representing us all by wearing that shirt”, he expressed vehemently.
The FA demanded that the PN explain under which article of the parliamentary regulations this expression was prohibited in favor of the disappeared detainees. Senator Liliam Kechichian did so, and Penadés responded: “I will gladly seek the consideration that determines that from the presidency of the Senate it is impossible to make any type of clarification or expression that does not represent the entire Senate as such, violating the impartiality that the president must have when directing the sessions, and that is established in the regulations.”
The nationalist senator, Graciela Bianchi, accused Della Ventura of alleged misconduct, and recalled that she had once again criticized her for wearing a mask with the word “Yes” written on it, which alluded to the referendum against the LUC.
Penadés and his two positions
Although the senator wanted to record not only on his own behalf but on that of the entire nationalist caucus, he went out to clarify that, on a personal basis, he does support the fight for the disappeared.
“The issue is not related to the substance of the issue, which one may or may not share, but rather with the necessary impartiality that must be had from the presidency of the Senate to lead the debate,” said Penadés, consulted by The Daily. In his opinion, “if up to now no president of the Senate has identified himself with anything, it is because impartiality must be maintained from that place,” and he stressed that this does not mean “opening an opinion trial on the merits of the matter.”
When asked if he was in favor of the search for the disappeared, he said “of course he was” and regretted that his statements meant otherwise. “Not what was intended to say,” he added.
