Martín Menem was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies

Martín Menem from La Rioja was elected on Thursday as president of the Chamber of Deputies of the Nation, replacing Cecilia Moreau, within the framework of the special session in which the 130 legislators elected in the October 22 elections were sworn in. The appointment of Menem, who was proposed by the La Libertad Avanza (LLA) bloc to preside over the body for the new parliamentary term, was supported by almost all the parliamentary blocs, except for the Left Front, which abstained in the vote of all the authorities of the lower house. New Balances of Power in Congress
Despite the adverse scenario in terms of the relationship of forces, President Javier Milei did not formalize a legislative alliance with the PRO and nominated Francisco Paoltroni as provisional president of the Senate and Martín Menem as head of the Chamber of Deputies. Both legislators have libertarian renowns, but they have no experience in the National Congress. Paoltroni and Menem will be in charge of negotiating with the legislators to be able to promote the laws sent by the Executive. In the 24 hours following the inauguration of the president-elect, Congress will face its first challenge, as the Executive plans to send the anticipated “omnibus law” in extraordinary sessions. According to what has transpired so far, the document will include changes in the structure of the State, tax reforms and even policies, such as the elimination of the PASOs. In this context, both Martín Menem and Paoltroni will have to work frantically so that the libertarian government can sanction the law and begin to execute its ambitious government plan. As of December 10, the Chamber of Deputies will be made up of 108 legislators from the Union for the Fatherland, which will maintain the first minority; followed by Juntos por el Cambio (94) and La Libertad Avanza (38). The body will be completed by the Federal interbloc (8 seats), the 2 left blocs (5 in total), and another 4 deputies from the interior blocs. Meanwhile, in the Senate, Peronism will also be the first minority with 33 seats of the Union for the Fatherland, although it could achieve the quorum (37 votes) from the support of allied benches such as the Misiones bloc (of the Frente Renovador de la Concordia, which answers to Carlos Rovira and has 2 members), the federal Peronists of Unidad Federal, On the other hand, Juntos por el Cambio will lose 6 seats and will be left with 21 legislators, although it could be expanded to 26 with the support of Cambio Federal (4 members) and the monobloc of the Social Justice Party.Finally, La Libertad Avanza will have representation in the chamber for the first time with 7 members thanks to its victory in Jujuy. San Juan and San Luis and the second place obtained in Formosa and La Rioja.

Original source in Spanish