Argentina: Milei vetoes public financing for universities

Buenos Aires. Against the backdrop of incidents caused by plainclothes police, which led to violent repression, leaving eight detainees and several journalists and cameramen attacked by uniformed officers, the far-right president Javier Milei achieved the support of Congress, through blackmail, open purchase of deputies and negotiations of last minute, for the approval of his veto against the university financing law.

Thousands of students here and in the provinces took to the streets tonight to take over university facilities and teaching unions announced a national strike for this Thursday.

Milei threatened the students that no one is going to defend them, “not even human rights”, this was lost in the midst of the tense situation of the entire day when tonight the fireworks returned to the streets, accompanying the “Universities in mourning.” ” from now on, and they happen in this capital and in several cities in the interior.

In Córdoba, a university city, thousands of students marched tonight. Every moment, announcements arrive from universities taken over throughout the country, where there are also cacerolazos.

The government of the far-right La Libertad Avanza, which has the minority in deputies, obtained the votes of the Republican Proposal, headed by former president Mauricio Macri and several of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) who changed their vote after negotiating with officials by Milei.

The rejection of the veto gathered 160 positive votes, 85 negative votes and five abstentions, so it did not reach the support of two-thirds of those present, a floor that was necessary to maintain the validity of the norm.

In the end, no one celebrated inside the venue since the spectacle of corruption in the open was shameful, due to the “buying of votes” and blackmail, which destroyed the normal functioning of Congress, while the certainty of that the Milei government is a covert dictatorship, which governs by decrees, and every day more national companies and the country’s sovereignty are handed over.

Prior to the vote, Milei referred to the “work” (theft) of the universities that according to the president and his officials are in the hands of “leftists” (leftists) and “kirchneristas” (Peronists) to whom he referred with insults. .

“Probably this afternoon they will win, but inevitably they will lose,” said deputy Miguel Ángel Pichetto, a Peronist from Río Negro with his own bloc, who supported the government’s basic law, now harshly criticized the actions against universities and education. public.

He regretted that the ruling party is far from “having consolidated a parliamentary majority with dialogue,” and wondered about the economic and government plan promoted by La Libertad Avanza. “What is the program they have? “It is a ship without lights at sea, a train without a station, a public limited company of mass destruction, a demolition company,” he said at the end of the very tough debate in Congress.

Several analysts also warn that from now on no one can assure that this is a victory, since he turned thousands of his own voters against him and with his new veto, he attacked the majority of all Argentine families that have their children. studying at universities and defend public education.