The novel around social security reform in Uruguay still standing, this time with the Colorado Party as the protagonist of the discrepancies, after, after many twists and turns, Open Town Hall (CA) agreed with the government to give their votes in the Parliament. For now, and with a quarter intermission until next Thursday, the Colorados are discussing new proposals to bring them closer to their coalition partners.
When on March 2, during the speech of AccountabilityPresident Luis Lacalle Pou announced the imminent vote on the social security reform —which, by then, already had half the approval of the Senate—, it was difficult for him to imagine that, a month and a half later, problems would continue to arise among his own ranks. First, with the sector led by Guido Manini Rios and, now, with the colorados.
In this sense, and after a first exchange made during the last meeting of its bicameral parliamentary bench, the Colorado Party began a process of discussion and systematization of the various ideas that its members manage to incorporate into the pension reform project, in response to what they consider to be a controversial agreement between the Executive power and the lobbyists who left them in the uncomfortable place of being the ones who are now delaying the definition of the initiative.
At the moment, the two majority sectors of the party, citizens and Batllistas, They separately discuss the bases for a unified final proposal that they will present to the government. The key to the analysis is in the calculation of the economic impact that the changes will have that they are going to propose, as long as they understand that it should be the main issue to take into account, considering the purpose behind the reform of the pension system: to guarantee its financial capacity for the coming years.
Indecisions within the Colorado Party
Although at the moment there are no definitions among the Colorados, some points generate more doubts than others when agreeing. One of them is the formula agreed by Lacalle Pou and Manini Ríos around the years considered for the replacement rate calculation —Fundamental for what is the definition of the basic retirement salary.
On this point, there are those who consider it a fait accompli on which it is not worth discussing —in as much as it condenses, moreover, the lobbying votes—; while others seek to present an alternative, pointing out that even the government was not going to give in on the issue and ended up giving in to CA’s demands.
Another point of indecision has at its center the parastatal boxes: a group of colorados considers that the modified project that the Executive Branch sent to Parliament at the end of March has a confusing wording regarding the future of the Notary Box and the “window period”, which grants power to the government in power instead of making the entry of affiliates to the common system subject through a law.
Orsi’s disgust with the official novel
Regarding the comings and goings around the vote on the social security reform, also the mayor of Cannelloni, the frontier Yamandu Orsi, showed his discontent. For the reference of the opposition, “we are all sitting in the audience waiting for the multicolored coalition, which had everything agreed, to finish agreeing”.
This was expressed in his radio column in CW41, where he also pointed out that “the more time passes” the discussion on the pension reform “is losing its seriousness”, and that it is not a matter of changing “one law for another”.
“What we have to think about here is what kind of reform, of social security or retirement, are the ones that benefit our people, and not accept that ‘well, it’s not good, but if I get this other law so that enable this other, I’ll still vote for you’”, because this is how “we enter lose credibility as political parties”, he sentenced.
Regarding the position of broad front, Orsi considered that “he is against” and, although he “agrees with the points”, when the discussion takes place, “some things can suddenly be accompanied”.
“Without a doubt, whatever government comes will have to continue incorporating regulations, improving and not necessarily sweeping everything that exists, but rather improving the proposals or understanding that the path that was followed is not the best, but that there may be others.” ”, he explained.
Source: Ambito
