(Buenos Aires) Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez on Wednesday launched a parliamentary procedure for the dismissal of the Supreme Court for “poor performance of his duties”, a new stage in the conflict between power and a judicial system that he wishes to reform.
Mr. Fernandez (Peronist, center left) on Wednesday delivered to officials of the Chamber of Deputies a request for a “political trial” against the Supreme Court, asking for “prompt legislative processing”.
The approach, with strong symbolism, has almost no chance of succeeding. MEPs must first approve the principle of an investigation. The latter, if it takes place, is conducted within 60 days by a parliamentary commission. The approval of two-thirds of each chamber is then required to first formally “indict” and then dismiss the four judges of the Supreme Court of Justice.
However, the centre-left coalition in power does not have an absolute majority either in the Lower House or in the Senate, even if it is the largest group there.
The initiative of the Head of State follows a judgment in December of the Supreme Court, strongly contested by the central power, which had increased the proportion of federal tax revenues that should receive the capital Buenos Aires, whose mayor is the center-right opponent Horacio Larreta.
The president accused the Court of “arbitrarily invading the exclusive spheres of competence of other powers” of the state. He denounced a “political judgment, linked to an election year”, Mr. Larreta being a serious candidate for the presidential election scheduled for the end of 2023.
Mr. Larreta in return accused Mr. Fernandez of “breaking the institutional order and attacking the rule of law and democracy”, by attacking the judges. The government camp “wants to go above the law and change the referee”, he denounced, assuring that the opposition will obstruct the procedure.
Since the start of his mandate in 2019, Alberto Fernandez has tried in vain to reform the judicial system, which has been widely discredited and which power and opposition accuse each other of instrumentalising.
According to a mid-2022 poll, more than 78% of Argentines have a “negative” or “very negative” image of the functioning of their justice system.