Argentine riot police disperse protesters with water cannons and tear gas ahead of key Senate vote

Anti-government protesters are sprayed by a police water cannon in front of Congress as lawmakers debate a reform bill promoted by Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, June 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine riot police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse protesters who threw sticks, stones and Molotov cocktails in front of Congress on Wednesday, escalating tensions before the Lawmakers vote on state overhaul and tax bills proposed by President Javier. Milei.

The vote is the most serious test yet of the libertarian leader's vision for governance and change.

Thousands of protesters had converged on downtown Buenos Aires as the Senate opened debate on key legislation, urging lawmakers to reject Milei's agenda of harsh austerity and economic deregulation.

The carnival atmosphere that reigned around Congress earlier in the day – with demonstrators blowing trumpets, dancing and buying beer and grilled meat at impromptu street barbecues – quickly transformed as the crowds is pushed and shoved against a column of police armed with shields and batons.

Security forces, backed by armored vehicles equipped with water cannons, pushed back protesters by throwing flaming bottles and other objects. Despite the winter weather, hundreds of police officers fired water cannons and tear gas at crowds moving toward cordoned off streets and, at one point, trampled a police barricade.

The ensuing scuffles between police and protesters injured at least 20 officers, authorities said. Security forces said they arrested 15 people.

Protesters threw Molotov cocktails at bicycles and set fire to a car belonging to a local radio station. Police used pepper spray to clear a line of protesters, sending at least four opposition lawmakers to the hospital, according to the left-wing Peronist party, Unión por la Patria.

Scenes of chaos unfolded in the streets surrounding the central square.

The presidency issued a statement condemning the protesters as “terrorists” who “attempted to stage a coup by attacking the normal functioning of the Argentine National Congress.”

“The only thing the old guard knows how to do is put spokes in the wheel,” Milei said Wednesday at a conference for a right-wing think tank at the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires. “We are going to change Argentina, we are going to make it the most liberal country in the world.”

The violence outside Congress provoked cries inside as opposition senators tried to pass a motion to suspend debate due to the clashes. The motion failed and debate continued.

Milei rose to power promising to resolve Argentina's worst economic crisis in two decades, but his political party, made up of relative novices, holds only a tiny minority of seats in Congress and he has struggled to reach agreements with the opposition.

Senators began debating two bills Wednesday, a tax package that lowers the income tax threshold and a 238-item state reform bill, initially dubbed the “omnibus bill.” » because of its more than 600 articles.

This watered-down version still delegates broad legislative powers to the president over energy, pensions and security, and includes measures to encourage investment, deregulate the economy and reduce the deficit.

“They seek to bankrupt our national industry for the benefit of certain monopolies,” said Peronist lawmaker Juan Marino.

Some sensitive issues, such as the provision of health care by unions and the privatization of Argentina's national oil company, were abandoned in the hope of reaching a compromise.

“If this law is passed, we will lose a large part of our work and retirement rights,” said Miriam Rajovitcher, 54, a primary school teacher, adding that her school's budget had already been cut, that his wages had been cut and food had been reduced. prices skyrocketed. “I’m in a much worse situation.”

Launch fireworks and chant: “Our country is not for sale!” » Bankers, teachers, truckers and workers from a host of other unions held signs mocking Milei for his self-described “anarcho-capitalist” agenda and drastic efforts to cut spending across the country. State. “How can a head of state hate the state? a banner read.

After weeks of tortuous negotiations to win over potential allies, Milei's two major bills cleared a major hurdle in late April, passing through the lower house of Congress. If the Senate passes the bills with modifications, the lower house must still approve them.

“Today it is almost more important for Milei to demonstrate that he can pass laws in Congress than what he passes,” said Lucas Romero, director of the consulting firm Synopsis.

The package faces strong resistance from right-wing moderates and the left-wing Peronist movement loyal to former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, who has dominated Argentine politics for two decades.

The Peronist bloc controls 33 of the Senate's 72 seats while Milei's party, Freedom Advances, holds just seven. The bill needs 37 votes in the Senate for a majority.

Analysts say foreign investors and the International Monetary Fund, to which Argentina owes $44 billion, are closely watching the vote to see if Milei can reach consensus with his opponents to realize his ambitions.