The Argentine president inaugurated the parliamentary year with an extensive speech that ranged from a claim to the solidity of the democratic system – this year it will be 40 years old – to enumeration of virtues in science, energy and the environment. However, the strongest point was the criticism against the Judiciary, which has been overshadowed by episodes that questioned its transparency. The opposition reacted by calling the president’s pronouncement “cynical”.
This Wednesday, March 1, as is customary in Argentina, the parliamentary season opened with a speech by the president from the Senate podium. Alberto Fernández inaugurated the 141st period of ordinary sessions of the Legislative Assembly, reviewing various symbolic issues and highlighting his Administration’s virtues, but the controversy ignited when he reiterated his criticism of the Supreme Court of Justice, accused of partiality with the opposition.
Fernández pointed directly to the sanction of the Justice in favor of the City of Buenos Aires – the main nucleus of the opposition force – which credited him with a fraction of the co-participation budget that was directed to other provinces.
“While many provinces need to carry out works that allow them to ensure services as essential as drinking water, the Supreme Court assured the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires of co-participating resources that do not correspond to it, contrary to the current co-participation law,” he said. the mandatary.
While it classified as “inadmissible” the intervention of the Judiciary within the preparation of the national budget.
The head of state also referred to the request for impeachment against the members of the Supreme Court. Although he clarified that “there is no attack or attack against the Justice” he insisted that “the performance of the magistrates be reviewed with all the guarantees and in the corresponding instances.”
In these three years, we have been able to face adversities in conditions of extreme complexity. Today we live substantially better than three years ago.
Argentine men and women have the right to know what we did, why we did it and what we intend to do. pic.twitter.com/mnGwoLvDMm
– Alberto Fernandez (@alferdez) March 1, 2023
However, Fernández went further and also again denounced the collusion between members of the Justice, media businessmen, opposition officials and former intelligence agents. The case of the secret meeting in Lago Escondido uncovered a wave of criticism from the ruling party, but it has not permeated public opinion.
In addition, he stressed that the Argentine citizens do not have confidence in the work of the judges or in their effectiveness and again asked for a deepening of the investigation into the attempted assassination of Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner and a sentence for the perpetrators of the act. .
Criticism from the opposition rains down
The presidential speech provoked severe criticism from the opposition, who called it “cynical” and offending the institutions. The leader of the Radical Civic Union bloc in the Chamber of Deputies, Mario Negri, attacked Fernández.
“I think that, after 40 years of democracy, what the president has done today is to go through two hours of cynicism, lies and grievances against the institutions,” he said.
THE BEGINNING OF THE END
Today began the end of the Argentine decadence. After a century of failures, this is the last speech at the Opening of Sessions by a President who defends this model that only benefits politicians. Next year a new story begins. VLLC
— Javier Milei (@JMilei) March 1, 2023
Mendoza’s Alfredo Cornejo, president of the Juntos por el Cambio interblock in the Senate, accused the head of state of “wasting time” and not talking about the conditions in which the population lives, in a context with high inflation and a significant percentage of poverty.
The far-right liberal, Javier Milei, left the chamber in protest and addressed himself via Twitter. “Today the end of the Argentine decadence began. After a century of failures, this is the last speech at the Opening of Sessions by a President who defends this model that only benefits politicians, ”he wrote.
The libertarian leader, who will join the race for the Rivadavia Seat in 2023, closed by assuring that “next year a new story begins.”
Alberto Fernández spoke in front of deputies, senators, two members of the Supreme Court, the Governors of the provinces, the Buenos Aires Head of Government, scientists who are looking for alternative treatments against cancer, trade unionists, among others.
Argentina, one of the fastest growing countries, according to Fernández
In his speech, the president remarked that Buenos Aires has been “one of the countries that has grown the most in the last two years” and warned that this trend will continue in 2023, reaching three consecutive years of productive increase.
Fernández assured that they are “laying the foundations for balanced growth” of national finances. “Despite the cataclysms so many times announced, we continue to order our economy” and he thanked the Minister of Economy, Sergio Massa, the third he had in his presidency.
While he reaffirmed his commitment to lower high inflation and returned to target the government of Mauricio Macri. “Those who blew up the Argentine economy just three years ago are the same ones who are now announcing that a bomb will explode in the future,” he said.
Democratic firmness, environment and energy, among the highlighted virtues
In 2023, Argentina will celebrate 40 years since democracy returned after a sinister period of Civic-Military Dictatorship in the country. In this sense, Fernández highlighted the solidity that the democratic system has gained in the territory, a “collective achievement of all the people.”
“Argentina has sustained its institutionality when governments endure permanent destabilizing actions caused by media and de facto powers and politics is despised by intense minorities, which are located on the margins of society,” he stressed.
In tune, he announced that he will continue the Strategic Plan for Trials Against Humanity, drawn up by the Human Rights Secretariat, which aims to continue advancing in the trial processes for the crimes of the dictatorship.
In another area, he mentioned that Argentina will continue to be part of the fight against climate change worldwide with the National Plan for Adaptation and Mitigation to Climate Change that systematizes the policies to achieve the goals defined by 2030.
Lastly, Fernández spoke about the energy situation, an issue that has concerned the international community since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine.
The head of state highlighted the exploitation and production of energy that the country is carrying out, which will include the inauguration of a gas pipeline scheduled for mid-year.
“Argentina will produce the energy that the world is needing, it will mean not only self-supply capacity, but also export capacity,” he added. The southern country aims to generate national records in gas and oil production in the coming years.
With EFE and local media
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