By Nicolás Misculin
BUENOS AIRES, Dec 10 (Reuters) – Argentina’s newly elected Congress will begin a period of special legislative sessions on Wednesday in which President Javier Milei intends to push a series of reforms he has said are necessary to boost the country’s economy.
After a strong showing in midterm legislative elections in October, the ruling party La Libertad Avanza became the largest minority in the lower house and gained a larger bloc in the Senate, which it hopes will allow it to overcome opposition from the center-left Peronist coalition.
Milei in the coming months intends for Congress to approve the national budget, new regulations to allow mining in glacier areas, and labor, tax and criminal code reforms.
“The government has favorable conditions to approve all these reforms, both in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate, thanks to broader blocs and potential alliances,” said political analyst Julio Burdman.
Unions have strongly opposed Milei’s announced labor reform, which will seek to give employers more flexibility on working hours and vacations, as well as modify the system of severance pay in order to reduce costs for companies. Officials have said that the proposed change to the penal code will lengthen sentences for certain crimes, including homicide.
No details of the planned tax reform have been released, but it’s expected to simplify the tax system.
A government source told Reuters that they expect the new budget to be approved in December and that the labor reform will begin to be discussed then, although it would not be approved until 2026.
The new tax regulations are expected to reach Congress in the first months of next year.
In the first half of his presidential term, Congress was a headache for Milei, who saw his bills founder in a sea of opposition legislators and his presidential vetoes overturned.
Starting on Wednesday, La Libertad Avanza will have 95 deputies out of a total of 257, compared to 93 for the Peronists. It will need 34 additional votes to approve the bills, but is expected to secure that support from allied parties.
(Reporting by Nicolás Misculin; writing by Leila Miller; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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