The president of the Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem, anticipated the Casa Rosada's play: insisting on the suspension of the PASO primaries, despite not having secured the votes of its allies and the provincial blocs. To the surprise of insiders and outsiders alike, the ruling party called a committee meeting for this Tuesday in which it will seek to issue a report on an ambitious electoral reform that, according to drafts obtained by LA NACION, adds the possibility of incorporating "acople" lists, one of the demands of allied governors. This time the negotiation is not taking place in Congress, but is being handled "from the top down," according to several legislators accustomed to vote-trading who have been sidelined from the talks between the government, led by Cabinet Chief Diego Santilli, and the provincial governors. Although the Casa Rosada insists it has the necessary support to move forward with the initiative, the perception in the Senate is quite different. Not even the libertarian legislators share the Executive's optimism. According to what LA NACION was able to verify, the ruling party currently has 31 secured votes out of the 37 it needs to give the initiative initial approval. But first it must overcome a more immediate obstacle: obtaining the committee report next Tuesday. Legislators from various blocs anticipate a "difficult" debate in Constitutional Affairs, chaired by the ruling party's Agustín Coto from Tierra del Fuego. New fronts could open up there and Balcarce 50's intention to advance the bill for floor debate on November 26 could be frustrated. That is because, although the committee's composition favors the libertarians, they need to gather ten signatures and, to reach that number, they depend on the backing of four representatives from the Radical Party and the provincial blocs. Part of the resistance is explained by the fact that until this weekend most senators were unaware of the content of the draft the government intends to report out. The text picks up the points of the original initiative, including changes in political party financing and the incorporation of Ficha Limpia, but replaces the elimination of the PASO primaries with their suspension and adds the possibility of enabling coattail lists. Patricia Bullrich and Jorge Capitanich. Debate in the Senate Constitutional Affairs Committee on political reform, PASO primaries and Ficha Limpia. Deputies, National Congress
Santiago FilipuzziAs for what may happen on Tuesday, the readings vary. Some believe the government will manage to gather the necessary signatures, albeit with some dissenters that could lead to changes during a possible debate in the Senate. The most skeptical, on the other hand, anticipate a lengthier discussion, with key legislators who might resist joining the report while they seek to negotiate with the Executive. NegotiationsAmong the signatures the government seeks to secure are those of the three Radicals Eduardo Vischi (Corrientes), Rodolfo Suárez (Mendoza) and Flavio Fama (Catamarca). It is taken for granted that the first two will side with LLA, after their respective governors reached agreements with Santilli. In the case of the Corrientes governor, Juan Pablo Valdés, one of the conditions would be the inclusion of two senators from his bloc on the lists. For the Mendoza governor Alfredo Cornejo, on the other hand, the concession would be considerably more generous, as it would involve keeping current deputy Luis Petri out of the competition for a ruling-party candidacy. Different is the situation of Catamarca's Fama, who does not answer to Governor Raúl Jalil and whose backing is still in doubt, in a scenario of uncertainty over the renewal of his seat next year. Among the provincial legislators, Córdoba's Alejandra Vigo is keeping her cards close until the last moment, although from her circle they note that she has always been in favor of suspending the primaries. Patricia Bullrich and Jorge Capitanich. Debate in the Senate Constitutional Affairs Committee on political reform, PASO primaries and Ficha Limpia. Deputies, National Congress
Santiago FilipuzziWith the need to add two more supports to reach the ten signatures, the positions of some provincial legislators take on special relevance. One of them is Carlos "Camau" Espínola, who is keeping his stance under wraps and could define it at the last moment. The backing of Carolina Moisés (Jujuy), of Convicción Federal, is in doubt, her decision being subject to the talks among the northern governors, who will meet this Monday, and other PJ figures, including Sergio Massa, with whom she maintains dialogue. Meanwhile, it is expected that Tucumán's Beatriz Ávila, of the Independencia bloc, will follow the directives of Osvaldo Jaldo, who flaunts his good rapport with the Casa Rosada but has already voiced his rejection of eliminating the PASO primaries. Faced with this scenario, confusion prevails among some legislators about the true intentions of the political wing that answers to Karina Milei and the Menems. "The bill was dormant and they reactivated it. It's a way of marking Patricia's territory," was repeated in the Senate corridors, in reference to the internal dispute the leader of the libertarian bloc maintains with a sector of the Casa Rosada. However, even in the most optimistic scenario for the ruling party, in which it managed to get through Tuesday's meeting without setbacks, for many the real challenge will be gathering the 37 votes needed to approve the initiative on the floor. The votes At that stage, the UCR bloc, led by Vischi, will play a decisive role, since it has ten senators. According to what LA NACION learned, the Executive has already reached agreements not only with Valdés and Cornejo, but also with Maximiliano Pullaro (Santa Fe), to whom it would have guaranteed clearing his electoral path, and Leandro Zdero (Chaco), another of the dialogue-minded governors. Radical governors Carlos Sadir, Maximiliano Pullaro, Alfredo Cornejo, Juan Pablo Valdés and Leandro ZderoIn this way, the Radical Party would contribute at least seven votes to LLA's 21: Eduardo Galaretto (Santa Fe) and Carolina Losada (Santa Fe), Rodolfo Suárez (Mendoza) and Mariana Juri (Mendoza), Mercedes Valenzuela (Corrientes), Vischi (Corrientes), and Silvana Lorena Schneider (Chaco). Within the bloc there are also those who are uncomfortable with the tug-of-war between the provinces and the Nation. "I have to swallow the toad," admits, in a kind of frank confession, a senator from the century-old party who says he is ethically opposed to suspending what he considers "a tool of democracy." Even so, he takes for granted that he will follow his governor's directives. More uncertain is the outlook for Maximiliano Abad (Buenos Aires), Fama (Catamarca) and Daniel Kroneberger (La Pampa). None of them answers to a governor and, although all three have hinted they could side with the ruling party, that autonomy increases their leverage. In libertarian ranks they also take for granted the backing of Santa Cruz's José María Carambia and Natalia Gadano, with direct ties to Governor Claudio Vidal. To them is added Neuquén's Julieta Corroza, so the ruling party would gather, for now, 31 votes. A separate chapter deserves the position of the Pro bloc, chaired by Martín Goerling Lara, who defends the merits of the PASO primaries. From the bloc, which also includes Andrea Cristina (Chubut) and María Victoria Huala (La Pampa), they told LA NACION that they still have not taken a position, given the planned changes to the initiative and without hiding their displeasure at the draft's lack of circulation. "If they present that, a discussion opens from scratch, regardless of whether they have the numbers," they warned. For its part, from Convicción Federal, the bloc that answers to the northern governors, they indicated that any decision will come after the meeting this Monday of Gustavo Sáenz (Salta), Raúl Jalil (Catamarca) and Osvaldo Jaldo (Tucumán). Afterwards, they will be in charge of passing down their directives to Guillermo Andrada, Carolina Moisés and Sandra Mendoza. Salta's Flavia Royón, who belongs to a single-member bloc, will also await Sáenz's decision, although from her circle they anticipate she is "closer to a no than a yes." Meanwhile, there is no shortage of libertarians who, contrary to the confidence displayed by the Karinista wing, see a certain improvisation in the call to the Constitutional Affairs Committee, with its own chairman, Agustín Coto, left out of the matter, as is Patricia Bullrich. "If it passes, it passes, and I'll see how far I get," they sum up regarding the government's strategy. "Pushing it directly in extraordinary sessions was not the most prudent course," they hint. As for the last-minute changes, they also have reservations. After all, within their own ranks, Bullrich has always been against coattail lists. It remains to be seen whether the incorporation of this system of endorsements will open a new front of conflict or give rise to another distancing by the former minister. By Delfina Galarza