What is the balance of power in the Senate after the breakup of the pro-government bloc and the loss of its own quorum?

He interbloc of the Frente de Todos in the Senate of the Nation suffered a to break this Wednesday afternoon. This was announced in a statement by lawmakers Guillermo Snopek (Jujuy), Edgardo Kueider (Entre Rios), Carlos Espínola (Corrientes) and María Eugenia Catalfamo (San Luis), who now form the Bloc federal unit.

To this group of senators He is joined by Senator Alejandra Vigo from Cordoba, who will serve as Vice President. Snopek will have the presidency.

Beyond the explanations they gave publicly to break with the interbloc, and the analysis that Juntos por el Cambio performs on the functioning of this new space, what is now beyond doubt is that the parliamentary year will begin with a very different scenario for the Front de tous in the Upper House.

In a Congress where the parity of forces is so marked, losing or gaining a single seat can mean reaching a quorum or passing a new law. He interbloc of the Front de Tous Until yesterday, he had 35 of his own senators, so he only needed two allies to achieve a quorum. NOW, with the departure of these four legislators, need to add six voices more to be able to start the session.

As for the interblocks, the Frente de Todos is made up of the Unidad Ciudadana block which leads Juliana DiTullio and the National and Popular Front which commands Jose Mayas.

the block of The Maya had 21 legislators and it was the first minority in the Senate. Now with 19 senators – Kueider and Espínola left- maintains its bloc position with the most legislators. For its part, the sector Di Tullio goes from 14 to 12 retired senators Catalphamus and Snopek.

Likewise, Córdoba Federal, which consisted only of Senator Alejandra Vigo, is part of the Federal bloc, with 5 members in total.

Interblock side Together for changehe PRO stay with 9 members, Federal Change, con 4, and the Radical Civic Union, with 18 members.

With this conformation ruling party loses quorum but not first and third minority which allows them to continue to keep their places both in the reflection on the authorities of the Chamber and if the debate for representativeness in the Council of the Judiciary were to be relaunched.

“Now we will have to see how they act, four of the five are most likely to work in tandem with the ruling party, except on justice-related issues where they will be further away, ”explains a senator from Juntos por el Cambio, analyzing what the dynamics of the Senate will be from now on.

The problem is that this bloc can absorb other senators who form “monoblocs” and who function as allies of the government, which would generate a sector with more power within the Chamber.

The news of the Frente de Todos interblock breaking took many of its senators by surprise. They assure that Cristina Kirchnerwho had already announced that he was not going to participate in the preparatory session this Thursday and intends to return to Buenos Aires before March 1 for the opening of the sessions, he found out when the letters came in senators who announced their withdrawal from the bloc.

In the meantime, when the preparatory session to elect the authorities of the Chamber begins at 11 am, everyone will watch how they will sit and what place they will occupy in the chamber. To see what treatment they will receive from the President of the Senate, we will have to wait for the ordinary sessions.

Continue reading: