Argentine senators raised themselves by 136 percent. The case made headlines in the media. The decision was taken by a show of hands and it is not clear who voted and how. President Javier Mille criticized the decision to increase payments in a country struggling with crisis. “This is how caste works,” wrote X.
In a resolution passed on Thursday, Argentine senators decided to give themselves a 136 percent raise. The decision was taken in a quick vote by show of hands, without any debate. According to a report in the “Clarin” newspaper, the vote “lasted only six seconds and was conducted by a show of hands with no way to clearly determine who supported the proposal.”
According to the newspaper, the salary of senators will now increase to 7.2 million pesos (PLN 33,700), which means that they will have about 4.5 million pesos (PLN 21,000) on hand, compared to 9.000 1.9 million pesos (8,000 PLN) so far. The session transcript posted on the Senate website did not indicate which chamber members supported the bill. Before the vote, only the resolution number is announced.
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Economic crisis in Argentina
The decision of the Senate unleashed a real storm in the media and was at the top of the biggest Argentine portals and television news channels. The reason for this is that the country is currently stuck in an economic crisis.
– What's the big problem? It's about how much people earn. A pensioner receives PLN 200,000. (Pesos), the minimum wage is 202,000, a teacher earns 500,000, a bus driver earns 900,000. Senators giving themselves a 136% raise is painful. In one breath – said TN TV reporter Jonathon Viale. The new minimum salary for senators is six times higher than the average salary in the private sector, according to the Buenos Aires Herald website, which according to government data is more than PLN 600,000. pesos.
Under the government of libertarian President Javier Millay, the country is currently undergoing serious belt-tightening to get out of the crisis and bring rampant inflation under control. According to some estimates, more than half of the population lives below the poverty line.
President Millay criticized the decision on the pay rise, including his description of the privileged “caste” of politicians he opposes. “This is how caste works,” he wrote on the website X. He also assured that senators from his party La Libertad Avanza (Freedom Advancement) did not support the initiative. However, the party has only seven seats in the 72-seat House. Meanwhile, some commentators assessed that senators from the president's party did not submit any comments and did not oppose an immediate vote on the resolution.
See also: Mass layoffs and protests. “Chainsaw Cuts”
Main photo source: Mathias Martin Cambaya/EPA/PAB
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