Argentine Senate Approves Private Property Project Amid Political Fractures

The Argentine Senate approved and forwarded a private property project to the Chamber of Deputies with a vote of 37 in favor and 33 against. The final version of the bill focused on accelerating judicial deadlines for evictions and modifying requirements for state expropriation of assets. To secure the passage of the bill, the officialist bloc had to remove two controversial sections: one regarding the sale of productive lands to foreigners and another modifying the Fire Management Law. The latter was removed following resistance from provincial allies and senators from Patagonia who opposed lifting prohibitions on the disposal of land in protected areas or wetlands affected by fires.

Parallel to the legislative vote, a political split occurred within the Misiones provincial representation. Senator Sonia Rojas Decut announced the creation of the monobloque Movimiento por Misiones, effectively breaking the unified representation of the province in the Senate. This move aligns her with Governor Hugo Passalacqua and distances her from Carlos Rovira. This fracture is viewed as a loss of a reliable allied vote for President Javier Milei in a Senate where every vote is critical.

Additional tensions emerged regarding voting procedures and internal government conflicts. Vice President Victoria Villarruel defended her decision to grant exceptional virtual voting authorization to Senator Anabel Fernandez Sagasti, who is 32 weeks pregnant. However, a motion presented by Patricia Bullrich sent all projects regarding non-presential voting to a commission, which ultimately disqualified Fernandez Sagasti and Senator Flavio Fama from voting in the session. Outside the Congress, protests against the project resulted in clashes between violent groups and security forces, leading to at least three detainees and two injured officers.