Seated but absent: the argument that the opposition would use to challenge the last session in Deputies

Carlos Galvan

02/09/2020 - 9:27

• Clarín.com

• Politics

As a simple spectator -or even being a legislator who participates in the session within the premises- the virtual sessions of the Chamber of Deputies are perceived as tense, but within a framework of certain respect.

"Jets

".

".

"

.

"

."

This type of insults and disqualifications had already been heard in the last remote session of Deputies, at the beginning of August when the extension of the Budget was approved.

Through the Webex chat system, from Cisco, also deputies from the different banks had crossed accusations, whoring, atrocities.

"Something that was never seen,"

says a deputy who has been a legislator for years.

For that deputy, this was an indicator that the remote session system was already exhausted.

Chamber of Deputies, this Tuesday.

The problem was that this Tuesday the ruling party and the opposition bench of Together for Change (JxC) could not agree on how to continue with the virtual sessions.

Sergio Massa, as president of the Chamber of Deputies, perhaps 

that he could force the opposition bloc to continue with this format by placing two projects on the agenda of this Tuesday's session that met with broad consensus: the tourist emergency and illegal fishing in the Argentine sea.

Instead of negotiating, the pro-government deputy sought to corner JxC: if they did not agree to meet, they

with a sector of society that demanded both laws.

But the opposing block made an unexpected move.

He redoubled the bet.

And he sought to condition Massa's parliamentary agenda, something that he could never accept as president of the Chamber of Deputies.

In the Parliamentary Labor meeting that lasted for 8 hours there were several attempts to find a format to continue with the virtual sessions.

Massa's last offer, as

was

able to reconstruct

, was that the sessions be mixed and that all the deputies who wanted could participate.

He even

and be able to carry out the sessions.

The leaders of Together for Change there asked for an intermission room.

They returned on one condition: that the agreement include that remotely neither judicial reform nor the new pension mobility formula would be discussed.

Neither Massa nor Máximo Kirchner, head of the Frente de Todos bench, accepted.

Other heads of minor blocks present at the meeting told

that the decision of the heads of the ruling party seemed understandable to them:

.

Another deputy who attended the Parliamentary Labor meeting added: "Together for Change was running the line all afternoon."

The session of Deputies on Tuesday that the opposition will challenge.

Photo Press Deputies.

Did the JxC leaders receive

during the intermission, how did Massa slide?

On the bench they rejected him outright.

In other opposition blocs who distrust the intentions of the ruling party, they questioned the format proposed by JxC.

"They said to leave out judicial reform and retirement mobility, but if Kirchnerism thought of seeking

had open hands," they said.

On Twitter, the Lavagnista deputy Graciela Camaño had proposed that the virtual sessions only deal with issues related to "the emergency and the crisis and not obstruct governance."

@SergioMassa @marioraulnegri What part of "consensual sessions" is not understood?

CONSENSUS IS: Do not incorporate issues far from the emergency and crisis and do not obstruct governance.

In this framework, we must rise to the level of the terrible situation that people have to live

- Graciela Camano (@GracielaCamano) September 1, 2020

Finally,

with the renewal of the virtual session protocol under the concept that most of the blocks - except one, that of Together for Change - and of the deputies agreed to continue with the format.

That's true.

It is also true that it had been agreed that the "Protocol for the remote operation of Deputies"

"

of the heads of the bloc in Parliamentary Labor.

And that this consensus involved "everyone", not a circumstantial majority.

The ruling party managed to advance with its session, although Together for Change announced that it will resort to Justice to challenge it.

Mario Negri and Cristian Ritondo, block chiefs of the UCR and PRO, at a press conference this Monday.

Photo Germán García Adrasti.

Experts in parliamentary law observed at dawn on Wednesday that the ruling party had left a

because something absurd happened.

It is that as the JxC deputies present complained throughout the session,

in the session no matter how much they were sitting on their benches.

The reason?

The system required them to log in remotely.

Thus, something unusual happened: those present were absent.

And those who participated from Río Negro or Formosa, as present.