Ironic chants, insults and empty chairs: what we haven’t seen from the Legislative Assembly

the speech of Alberto Fernandez in the opening of ordinary sessions of Congress It culminated in a climate of tension with the opposition which was accompanied by shouting, chanting, accusations and some deputies leaving the premises.

The previous ceremony had been marked by the unknown about attendance key figures, such as Máximo Kirchner, members of the Supreme Court and even the Vice President herself.

Since Kirchnerism, they have kept the secret until the last moment. Cristina Kirchner she arrived on the scene almost unnoticed and immediately began the session. The highest court judges did something similar Horacio Rosatti and Carlos Rosenkrantzhappened with the president.

In exchange, the leader of La Cámpora left his bench empty in a clear political message which confirms the discomfort of a sector of the coalition with the Head of State.

This is not the first time that the deputy is absent at the opening of the sessions: he had already done so in 2022. At that time, the discontent of Kirchnerisme revolved around the agreement with the IMF and less than two months had passed since the resignation of Kirchner at the head of the official bloc. At that time, he argued that he had not attended because their children have started school that day in Santa Cruz. On this occasion, the camporist spokespersons have not yet provided any explanations.

For about the first hour and a half, the president he listed in a hushed tone the achievements of his administration in economic and social matters. The official bench applauded without too much fervor in certain passages and vice-president Cristina Kirchner avoided any gesture, even when Alberto Fernández condemned and demanded an investigation into the attempted murder against her.

Opposition members have chosen to remain silent and They moved the debate to social media. Faced with numerous data or statements from the president, they responded with tweets or allusive messages. Most of the time they were seen focused on their cell phones.

“Full employment in 21 provinces? Plans are not jobs, President“, writes the head of the PRO bench, Christian Ritondobefore his declarations on the labor market.

“The president began by attacking the media for ‘distorting reality’. This is the same president who assures that inflation “builds itself, it’s in people’s heads” and that teachers worry about not paying benefits. There are no auctions,” he added. Mario Negrihead of the UCR block.

The only applause the President received from opposition MPs came when proclaimed the sovereignty of the Malvinas Islands.

The judges of the Supreme Court It has been directly alluded to on more than one occasion, always in a critical tone. Alberto Fernández even dedicated more than one provocative look reading his speech.

For their part, Rosatti and Rosenkrantz -seated to the right of the podium- they kept their eyes forward at all times and they avoided any gesture that could be interpreted politically. They also failed to respond to a few shouts from the official bench.

However, the gloomy mood came to an abrupt end towards the end of the speech when the The president questioned the government of Buenos Aires and to Justice for the judgments from which it benefited in the litigation of co-participating funds.

“While many provinces have to carry out works that provide services as essential as drinking water to their inhabitants, the Supreme Court of Justice has assured the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires of co-participating resources that do not correspond to it, unlike the co-law on shareholdings. It takes money from those who need it most and allocates those same resources to the most affluent city in the land.says Alberto Fernandez.

Some members of Evolution, such as Senator Martin Lousteauand the deputies Emiliano Yacobitti there martin tetazall from Buenos Aires, were the first to leave the room amidst shouts.

“I got up from the scene and left because I cannot allow such an outrage to be said. The president is lying: he cannot say that the city of Buenos Aires is not part of the agreement of co-participation,” explained Lousteau.

The cries from the opposition side of the chamber returned when Fernández assured that “he was from Buenos Aires” and questioned the Buenos Aires government’s request for funds. “I went back to college”, “Stop lying”, “You don’t even know where you’re going”, were some of the things that were heard from the sector occupied by Together for Change.

The MP PRO, Fernando Iglesiashe clashes with Alberto Fernández, Cecilia Moreau and various pro-government deputies. He ended up turning his back on the president while speaking. “It is an honor that you insult me, deputy Iglesias“replied the president. After a few minutes, he grabbed his backpack and left his bench.

Several members of the Federal Interbloc, such as Alejandro “Topo” Rodríguez, Graciela Camaño and Florencia Randazzo.Monica Fein and Enrique Estevez they also withdrew angry at the president’s words

“I complained to Kirchnerisme that it is institutional arbitrariness and illegal for the president to use his speech to influence the ongoing process. That’s why we left,” Rodríguez explained. “The president chose to use the pain of the drama of insecurity that we are experiencing in Santa Fe for his internship. Between lies and cynicism, he mixed issues and therefore took no responsibility. This is reprehensible,” Fein continued.

the libertarians Javier Milei and Victoria Villaruelwho had been the first to arrive at the scene after 9:30 a.m., also left before the end of the official speech.

The President then pointed the finger at Justice and his ties to the intelligence services following leaks of alleged conversations between Rosatti’s spokesperson, Silvio Roblesand the Minister of Security of Buenos Aires, Marcelo D’Alessandro.

“What many of us have described and denounced has become public knowledge: the collusion between certain magistrates, media businessmen, former intelligence agents and politicians,” he said of a your fervent.

The opposition responded with an ironic chant:Borom bom bom, for Alberto, re-election”. The atmosphere in the room had completely changed and the president had difficulty continuing his speech amid the shouting.

“With racketeering, I don’t know who wins,” said the president, as a criticism of those who promote the break. The opposition responded with wry laughs and gestures for him to finish his speech. “And you make this speech?shouted Alfredo Cornejo de Mendoza.

At the end, part of the ruling party sang the Peronist March with the help of trade unionists and leaders of social movements who occupied certain lodges.

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