President Javier Milei\u2019s government racked up another congressional victory on Wednesday as the lower house approved an anti-corruption bill that the opposition claims to target former president Cristina Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner.<\/p>\n
The so-called \u2018Ficha Limpia<\/em>\u2019 (\u201cClean record\u201d) bill, which blocks people with confirmed corruption convictions in the second instance from running for public office, was approved by the Chamber of Deputies after almost 12 hours of debate.<\/p>\n Wednesday\u2019s vote \u2013 144 in favour, 98 against, with two abstentions \u2013 is the first major success for President Milei in special summer sessions. The bill now passes to the Senate, where its approval looks doubtful.<\/p>\n The opposition says the bill is an attempt to weaken Peronism and \u201cproscribe\u201d Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner \u2013 who served two terms from 2007 to 2015 \u2013 from running for office.<\/p>\n The former president was convicted in the second instance on corruption charges in the so-called \u2018Vialidad\u2019 case last November, a ruling she has vowed to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner would be blocked from standing as a candidate if the bill, in its current form, passed into law. Its passage in the Senate seems unlikely, given Peronism is close to a majority with 34 of the 72 senators.<\/p>\n After two failed attempts last December, Milei took political responsibility for the bill\u2019s success, tasking his team with winning the support of moderate caucuses.<\/p>\n In order to guarantee lower house support, La Libertad Avanza agreed to introduce amendments to the text. The new agreement, which unlocked quorum and the votes for the bill’s approval, involved amending a so-called \u00abanti-proscriptive clause\u00bb and negotiating a cut-off date for second-instance rulings.\u00a0<\/p>\n Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner and her allies have accused Milei of targeting her unfairly. The former president denies the allegations against her and is appealing her conviction. She has vowed to take the battle all the way to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n In a fiery debate, opposition lawmakers slammed the ruling party, accusing it of seeking to \u201cproscribe\u201d its leader.\u00a0<\/p>\n Uni\u00f3n por la Patria lawmaker Julia Strada branded the bill as \u201ccowardly,\u201d claiming it targets \u201cthe only leader who could intervene to improve people\u2019s lives.\u201d<\/p>\n Her party colleague, Vanesa Siley, said that the ruling party is \u201conly interested in outlawing Cristina.\u201d<\/p>\n In a speech to the chamber, the Kirchnerite deputy said the bill would be \u201can important limitation on popular sovereignty: the right to elect and be elected.\u201d<\/p>\n Left-wing Frente de Izquierda national deputy Nicol\u00e1s del Ca\u00f1o warned the bill could give the Judiciary the right to \u201cdecide who can be candidates and who cannot.\u201d<\/p>\n Lawmakers from La Libertad Avanza, PRO, Uni\u00f3n C\u00edvica Radical and other caucuses dismissed the allegations, stating that the bill\u2019s initial version dated back to 2016, before Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner had been prosecuted.<\/p>\n The corruption charges Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner faces are just one of a number of cases against her. She claims she is a victim of \u201clawfare.\u201d<\/p>\n PRO deputy Silvia Lospennato, aligned with former president Mauricio Macri, a frequent ally of Milei’s ruling party, hailed Congress for setting \u201ca minimum ethical condition\u201d for those seeking to occupy benches.<\/p>\n \u201cTen years ago the former president was not even convicted in the first instance when I was already walking these corridors to get \u2018Ficha\u00a0Limpia<\/em>\u2019\u201d passed, said the deputy, one of the driving forces behind the bill, which she denies targets Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner.<\/p>\n Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner, who turns 72 next Wednesday, is currently the main opposition leader to Milei\u2019s budget-slashing reforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since last year, the former vice-president has chaired the main Peronist party, the Partido Justicialista. The movement is recovering from last year\u2019s election defeat to Milei, who has revelled in its misfortune.<\/p>\n Last November, the Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber upheld a first instance ruling that sentenced Fern\u00e1ndez de Kirchner to six years in prison and political disqualification for fraudulent administration.<\/p>\n If it is upheld by the Supreme Court, the former vice-president would likely not serve any jail time because she is over 70 years of age.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u2013 TIMES\/AFP\/PERFIL<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\nrelated news<\/h6>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n