Several thousand people demonstrated on Wednesday in Buenos Aires, giving rise to some scuffles with the police, during the third rally in a week against a decree of massive deregulation of the economy by the new ultraliberal president Javier Milei.
The demonstrators, at the call of several unions including the large central CGT, accompanied the filing at the courthouse of an appeal by several unions rejecting the constitutional conformity of this “mega decree”, as baptized by the press.
“We do not question the legitimacy of President Milei, but we want him to respect the separation of powers. Workers need to defend their rights when there is unconstitutionality,” construction union leader Gerardo Martinez, one of the organizers, told reporters.
Almost the entire gathering dispersed peacefully after midday, but a few scattered groups continued to face the police, deployed in large numbers, who were trying to evacuate a large avenue, giving rise to clashes. jostling. Six people were arrested, according to several media.
Javier Milei published last week, ten days after taking office, a “DNU” (decree of necessity and emergency) which aims to modify or repeal more than 300 standards, in particular by removing rent controls, State intervention to protect the prices of essential products, weakening worker protection, and opening the door to privatization.
The decree comes into force on Friday, but Parliament can repeal it with an absolute majority of both chambers, which no political party holds. Milei’s party, Libertad Avanza, is only the third force, although it can count on the support of the center-right bloc, the second largest.
But this “emergency decree” should not be examined before the parliamentary session in March. The parliament, theoretically on a summer break, has been sitting in extraordinary session since Tuesday, but to study draft laws complementary to the DNU, particularly in tax matters or on the role of the State.
“Today we turn to justice, but another chapter will be played out in parliament, which will have to hold a deep debate,” said Gerardo Martinez.
The mega decree, contested by the opposition both on the legal level and on its social impact, comes after a series of austerity measures announced from the first days of Milei’s presidency.
Thus, a devaluation of more than 50% of the peso, the national currency, and the imminent reduction, from January, of transport and energy subsidies, destined to affect the daily lives of millions of Argentines.