The output of Adrian Pena of the Executive Power was a hard blow for Ciudadanos, because it had been carrying out a management considered successful at the head of the Ministry of Environment.
After having clarified the situation of his university degree, acknowledging that for a long time he lied that he had a degree when he was not, Peña resumed his seat in the Senate and the coordination of the sector, at a time that coincided with the resolution of at least three issues considered a priority by the coalition and in which Ciudadanos played the role of the one with the “useful vote”: the player who has in his power the possibility of tipping the balance to one side or the other.
These are the reform of social security, shared ownership –or co-responsibility in raising– and reparation for victims of the guerrilla, which –once they were voted on– motivated the sector –which has two senators and eight deputies – congratulate themselves on their incidence to improve them and that the coalition could carry out the projects.
L. Carreno
Adrián Peña returned to the Senate
The WhatsApp, which expresses the tone that the sector has sought to impose in recent weeks, was sent by the former minister and points out that the three issues were “complex, controversial and with differences within the coalition” but Ciudadanos “found balance” in each case to come to a “good conclusion”.
“We represent that Uruguay in gray, not in black or white. We have the key and it begins to be seen,” added the sector leader, according to the message.
Leaders consulted by The Observer They said that “unsought” factors coincided in the situation that led them to be “in the center” and “take advantage of the opportunity.”
One of the sources mentioned, by way of example, that the deputy María Eugenia Rosselló had raised the need to modify article 4 of the shared tenure project months ago, but her voice had been ignored by a majority made up of the National Party and Cabildo Open, that they wanted to approve the bill as it had come from the Senate.
The identification by the whites that they did not have the necessary votes to approve it, because there were nationalists who were not willing to vote for it without modifications, was what led to They talked to Rosselló again and that the project ended up coming out with changes to its most controversial articles.
Something similar happened with the pension reform, where the decision of President Luis Lacalle Pou to accept the conditions demanded by the Cabildo Abierto led to the three Colorado sectors (Citizens, Batllistas and Tercera Vía) will drive changes.
In this case, from Ciudadanos they emphasize that they stood firm, announced that they were going to ask for the intermission room and that the negotiation was open again.
In the third case, the reparation to victims of the guerrilla, the deputy Ope Pasquet presented an alternative bill to the one promoted by Cabildo Abierto that unlocked the negotiations. It was approved in commission, will be voted on in May and will go to the Senate. The wording reinforced some details about who would be the beneficiaries and what would be the degree of reparation, since the previous text had received criticism from professorships and other social organizations due to various ambiguities.
The “key” of debtors and house arrest
consulted by The ObserverPeña pointed out that the return to coordination without being in the ministry allows him to carry out a “much more political” task and take advantage of the “moment of good internal relations” with the Batllistas and the Third Way.
Just as it was a coincidence that the return to Parliament occurred when the laws were about to be voted on and it was necessary to negotiate the changes, it is also a coincidence that Pablo Lanz –who occupied his seat– had been appointed as president of the Constitution and Legislation committee of the Senate .
Leonardo Carreno
The Chamber of Deputies approved the shared tenure project
This commission is studying two other important projects for the coalition (particularly for Cabildo Abierto): that of house arrest for the elderly and that of debtors.
In the first, the Cabildo Abierto is aligned with the National Party while in the second those led by Guido Manini Ríos are willing to vote with the Broad Front.
This situation makes Peña’s vote become key so that they can leave the commission, in addition to the fact that from the presidency, he must mediate between the ruling party and the opposition, in a commission whose first session already showed how heated the atmosphere was.
In that session, the nationalist Carmen Asiaín presented an alternative project to the house arrest of the Cabildo Abierto, something that was well received by Guillermo Domenech. Lobbyists and nationalists proposed moving forward with a limited list of delegations, while the Broad Front –which opposes it– asks to consult dozens of delegations.
The pre-candidacies
Although it was caused by the title situation, Peña’s return to the Senate had been demanded by some leaders such as Pablo Lanz, who asked him at the end of 2022 to return to the bench to start thinking about the elections.
In the sector they have defined that they will promote a candidacy, although there is still no clear name.
Several support Robert Silva, although the president of the Codicen has been stating that he has no intention of running the electoral race. Others have pointed out the possibility of Peña, although the former minister himself says that they must first define the instrument and then the names.
