The Government made official the call to legislators to discuss different bills within the framework of an election year. They will take place between January 20 and February 21.
As Ámbito anticipated, Javier Milei will call extraordinary sessions and Congress will resume its work before the end of January. Among the main topics to be discussed are the clean slate projects, the electoral reform – with the debate on the elimination of Primary, Open, Simultaneous and Mandatory elections -, the documents of judges Ariel Lijo and Manuel García-Mansilla and the anti-mafia law, among others.
In detail, the call for extraordinary sessions is one of the powers that the National Constitution grants to the Executive Branch. According to article 99 of the Magna Carta, the Government is authorized to call sessions outside the ordinary period – which runs each year from March 1 to November 30 – in those situations in which “serious interest in order or progress requires it.”
What are the extraordinary sessions called by Javier Milei?
Every year, the Legislative Branch – represented in both Chambers of Congress – begins the ordinary period of sessions that runs from March 1 to November 30 of each year. However, the Executive Branch has the power to call a meeting outside of that period of time, when it considers that the “iinterest in order or progress” requires it.
In that sense, the Constitution – in its article 99 – allows the President to convene legislators during the summer months, so that they debate different bills that are considered of urgent nature.
At the time of calling sessions during the extraordinary period, the Executive Branch is responsible for establishing, with the decree in which the call is made official, which are the projects that the Congress must address. In addition, the President is the only one with the power to define the legislative agenda that will be debated in both Chambers, unlike what happens when the PExecutive order decides to extend the ordinary periodwhere legislators have greater power when deciding which laws will be debated in the chamber.
In this way, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni confirmed that the agenda to be debated – from January 20 to February 21 – includes; the “Anti-mafia Law”; modification of the Criminal Procedure Code in order to regulate the “Trial in absentia”; regime of reiteration and unification of sentences; Reform Law for Electoral Strengthening; Clean Sheet; Law on Compensation and Loss Update Index and the consideration of documents that require agreement by the Senate of the Nation.
Finally, the Government left the debate on the national budget for 2025 off the agenda. Despite successive requests from governors and legislators of the dialogue opposition, the libertarian administration decided to extend the current budget, which dates back to 2023.
What other types of sessions exist
The ordinary and extraordinary periods of debate in the Congress are not the only ones that exist when carrying out parliamentary work. In addition to these, both chambers can be convened to carry out other types of sessions, among which are:
- Specials: These are those sessions that are carried out outside the days and times set for table sessions. This type of call is made by the legislators themselves.
- Informative: They are those in which the Chief of Staff attends Congress to provide a management report to the legislators, as stipulated in the National Constitution.
- Legislative Assemblies: They are joint meetings held by the members of both Chambers (deputies and senators). An example of this mechanism is the opening of ordinary sessions in which the President addresses Congress to speak to legislators.
Source: Ambito
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