Surprise lower house decision sparks tension between allies PRO and LLA

Thursday’s lower house session was nearing the end when a surprise last minute decision to name the representatives of the national audit office (AGN in Spanish) sparked a moment of extreme tension between ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) and their ally PRO.  The controversy started a little after 3 a.m. following the approval of the national budget, when lower house authorities decided to name three representatives to the AGN.  According to the organ’s statutes, it has seven authorities: a president (named by the main opposition party) and six auditors who must have a background in economy or law (three are designated by the lower house and three by the senate). The key point of contention was that the issue had not been included in the docket. The law states that debating topics that have not been previously announced is forbidden in extraordinary sessions of Congress, such as the current ones, that were convened by the government between December 15 and 30 to debate and vote on issues like the budget and the labor reform, among others. But perhaps the most surprising development was that PRO was left out of the negotiations for the AGN representatives, despite the fact that the party is the government’s staunchest ally. The three deputies appointed were Mónica Almada (LLA), Pamela Cametti (a former deputy proposed by provincial leaders), and Juan Ignacio Forlón, a Peronist deputy from Santa Cruz.  The ruling party’s decision to negotiate the appointments with Peronism, the government’s main opposition party, caused the PRO bloc and others of the so-called “friendly opposition” to leave their seats while the three lawmakers were sworn in. Once the designations were finalized, PRO bloc leader Cristian Ritondo addressed the chamber to harshly criticize LLA for the maneuver. In his speech, Ritondo reminded lower house president Martín Menem that PRO “backed” the government in the budget voting, held just before, and said that his party would file a complaint with the judiciary in order to declare the namings unconstitutional. “Let me clearly state that the lack of a [code of conduct] and the disrespect for the commitments made, is the responsibility of La Libertad Avanza,” he said.   According to the Herald’s sister publication Ámbito, the PRO bloc not only threatened to take legal action, but they also conditioned their support for the government in Congress. “From this point on, the relationship is completely different,” said a high-ranking PRO source to Ámbito’s Déborah de Urieta. “We will not support, provide a quorum for, or do anything we are not obligated to do,” they warned.