After almost 10 days, Argentina’s Lower House wrapped up its commission debates on President Javier Milei’s sweeping economic deregulation and state reform proposal known as the “omnibus bill.” Now, the ruling coalition La Libertad Avanza (LLA) is negotiating with the opposition: on one hand, to agree on a date for voting on the bill, and on the other, reach a consensus on changing key points of the proposal to guarantee its approval.

Congress sources told the Herald the session to vote for the bill is likely to take place on Thursday of next week (January 25). To vote on a bill, lawmakers first need to agree on a final version of the document — which could include changes to the original — a step that could potentially happen on Tuesday or Wednesday. However, LLA was originally pushing for the final version to be signed on Friday and voted on Saturday.

The 664-article legislative proposal is Milei’s flagship project, which seeks to change or annul hundreds of laws alongside a mega-decree issued in December. The bill proposes declaring a public emergency until the end of 2025, which would allow the Executive branch to legislate on certain matters without having to go through Congress. It also includes the sweeping privatization of public companies, the elimination of primary elections, and five-year prison sentences for those who organize protests.

The wide-ranging issues addressed in the bill were discussed in several commissions, a pre-requisite to being debated on the Lower House floor. Thirteen members of the national administration attended the sessions to explain sections of the bill and over 200 union, business, social........

© Buenos Aires Herald