The libertarian Bartolomé Abdala was elected this Tuesday (December 13) in the session of the House of Representatives with 39 votes; 29 Peronists abstained from voting
Senator Bartolomé Abdala (La Libertad Avanza) was appointed interim president of the Argentine Senate this Wednesday (December 13, 2023). During the meeting chaired by Argentine Vice President Victoria Villarruel, in addition to the distribution of commissions, nominations for key secretariats were approved. The information comes from the newspaper Clarín.
The appointment came through agreements between Javier Milei's deputy, who heads the Senate, and opposition blocs. However, 29 Peronist members of the “Frente de Todos” coalition abstained from voting, refusing to attend the meeting and claiming it was “illegitimate, unlawful and unconstitutional.”
In the first session in six years without the presence of Cristina Kirchner in the House of Representatives, Villarruel received the support of 39 senators, two more than the 37 needed to reach the quorum and elect Abdala, senator from San Luis province.
🇦🇷 NOW Senator Bartolomé Abdala raises the national flag and begins the special public session pic.twitter.com/uFQQoErGWC
Argentine Senate (@SenadoArgentina) December 13, 2023
In Argentina, the Vice President of the Republic is the President of the Ceremonial Senate; in the event of a tie, the vote decides. But in practice, the president pro tempore presides over the House of Representatives in most sessions.
This Wednesday (December 13), the governing coalition wanted to elect not only the provisional president of the Senate, but also other key authorities, such as the administrative secretary, who is responsible for finance, and the parliamentary secretary, who is responsible for forwarding projects to the committees responsible is .
For the position of administrative secretary, Villarruel María suggested Laura Izzo, an employee of the Ministry of Security. Agustín Giustinian, a former PRO bloc employee and a close confidante of Villarruel, was elected parliamentary secretary during the legislature's inauguration ceremony.
Carolina Losada was elected 1st Vice President of the Senate and Alejandra Vigo, senator from Cordoba and wife of former Governor Juan Schiaretti, was elected 2nd Vice President.
Who is Bartolomé Abdala?
Abdala, who was elected senator for San Luis province in October's general election, is a trained accountant but has been involved in politics for several years.
From 2008 to 2009, he was head of the San Luis Tourism Department during the government of Alberto Rodriguez Saá. However, Abdala was forced to resign when the provincial president reshuffled his cabinet.
He also served as a provincial representative and was president of the PRO (Republican Proposal) in San Luis.