Not only does the libertarian government pay for loyalty to the opposition with barbecues, jobs and electoral alliances, but also with the agenda. And it is the electoral reform that the governing party intends to approve in the first week of October in the Deputies: an agenda for the allies who voted to prevent an increase in pensions and request, now, some victory on their own part with which they will appear against their borders. The goal of La Libertad Avanza is to call a session, before the debate begins on the 2025 Budget, which will include the approval of the File Clean project and the approval of the Single Paper Ballot. Two PRO flags that, if approved, will completely change the 2025 electoral map They could even prevent the candidacy of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
The most paradigmatic case is that of Ficha Clean, an initiative supported by Silvia Lospennato during the Mauricio Macri government. The initiative, which received comment on Wednesday, proposes to restrict the applications of those who have a second conviction for corruption offences. These are: influence peddling, illegal enrichment, conversations incompatible with the use of public office, among others. For more than five years, the PRO, together with several of the parties that used to make up Together for Change, has been promoting the campaign, strikes systematically by rejecting Peronism that denies that the law has only one goal: to prevent the candidacy of the former president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.
Although a majority opinion inspired by Lospennato supports the need for it “double harmony” – that is, the conviction is confirmed by a second court -, no one doubts that the law has a name and surname. CFK was initially convicted in 2022 in the framework of the Roads case – a conviction that even disqualifies her from holding public office – and awaits confirmation of a criminal case. If the law is approved – and the conviction is confirmed – the former president would be out of the electoral competition even if she had higher appeal bodies (such as the Supreme Court).
The File Clean project was part of the list of demands that the PRO submitted to the national government after the sanctions of the Basic Law. Freedom Advances was in debt by the allies who, first, had promised to pass the government’s most important omnibus law and, later, had helped defend it – even at the cost of paying a personal political price - the prevention of the increase in retirees. And the Clean Token was a great way to pay for it. In one move, the ruling party aligned itself with the PRO, the radicalisms, the Civic Coalition and part of the Federal Assembly and, at the same time, managed to unite the entire dialogue front against Unión por la Patria. “Everyone is on the good side against Kirchnerism,” they are ironically in the libertarian ranks, where they have been suffering the attacks of the majority that got Peronism combined with a section of radicalism, pichettismo Encuentro Federal, the Civic Coalition and the left.
Single Paper Ballot by 2025
The other part of the electoral reform that the ruling party wants to approve before the end of the year is the Single Paper Ballot. Approved by the Deputies in 2022 and amended by the Senate a week ago, it returned to the Lower House to explain the final version of the law which will abolish, forever, the party ballot in national elections . The campaign was promoted by the former JxC, together with the “federal” friends – such as Graciela Camaño and “Topo” Rodríguez -, in the last year of the government of Alberto Fernández and was allowed, then, to celebrate as the establishment of its new opposition majority. Two years later, that same opposition majority – today mostly associated with Javier Milei – wants to turn it into law.
“This is the most important electoral reform after the creation of PASO,” they affirm, holding out their chests, in LLA, where the BUP sanctions, again, play an important role in bringing the neo-Peronist opposition to polarize “with Kirchnerism.” The goal is to turn the Single Paper Ballot into law in the next session, but, first, they have to sit down to negotiate with radicalism and the PRO. References from both blocs have already warned that they will ask for partial control of Deputy Ministers, or at least on some points.
The semi-control of the Senate replaced the Mendoza system with the Córdoba system – where the electoral offer is organized directly on the same ballot -, where the offer is presented horizontally. He also eliminated, at the request of the regional forces of Río Negro and Misiones, the box that allowed the entire list to vote. This last point is one of the focuses of discussion, as both the PRO and radicalism aim to get the box back in the final version.. The ruling party wants to approve the law, it doesn’t matter which version, so it is willing to negotiate the necessary changes. It will, however, be a delicate compromise, from then on Acceptance of the elimination of the box could arouse the anger of the regional parties in the Senate, who have an important vote for the government.
“You have to talk about some things, but it comes out through a pipe”agrees a libertarian sword that warns that negotiations will begin next week. First on Monday, with informal discussions and, if everything goes well, Nicolás Mayoraz (LLA) will call a session full of commissions to manage the project.
