Milei's radical overhaul passes Argentina's Senate after protesters clash with police
Argentina’s Senate has narrowly approved President Javier Milei’s sweeping proposals to slash state spending and boost his own powers
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s Senate narrowly approved President Javier Milei ’s sweeping proposals to slash state spending and boost his own powers on Thursday, handing the libertarian leader a much-needed first legislative victory.
Milei hailed the vote as a “triumph” even as opposition senators scrapped an income tax package and tweaked some contentious elements after an hourslong debate marred by violent clashes between police and protesters in downtown Buenos Aires.
Senate president Victoria Villarruel, the vice president, used a tiebreaking vote to give provisional approval to Milei’s plans to trim the fiscal deficit, incentivize foreign investment and privatize some state-owned companies in a bid to transform the bloated Argentine state and overhaul its long-troubled economy.
The most critical parts of Milei’s legislation went on to pass a marathon article-by-article voting session that stretched into Thursday morning.
His party made some tough concessions, agreeing not to sell off Argentina's flagship airline Aerolíneas Argentinas, post office or public media company, leaving just a handful of state-owned firms, such as Argentina’s nuclear power company, on the block for possible privatization. A measure lowering the income tax threshold to include thousands more workers also failed to pass the second round of Senate voting, complicating Milei's fiscal consolidation plans.
The Senate’s changes to the state overhaul bill now face a final vote in the lower house. But after months of legislative pushback, it’s likely that the version approved by senators will become law.
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