The labor union announced that it far exceeded the minimum of 270,000 adhesions to enable the popular consultation in October.
He PIT-CNT announced at a press conference that they will present 430,023 signatures to the Electoral Court, a total of 160,023 more accessions than necessary to carry out the plebiscite against social security reform in Uruguay along with the national elections in October.
The procedure that establishes the Constitution is that the signatures are first brought before the Parliament, what will be done this noon in a caravan from 12; and from there they are sent to the Electoral Court, where they are reviewed one by one, their authenticity is verified, and that they are not repeated. Once this purging is carried out, and if the total number of valid signatures is the corresponding one, the plebiscite can be called.
“Our girl, we are going to be delivering today in the National Parliament, into the hands of the Vice President of the Republic so that Parliament can implement the arrival of these signatures to the Electoral Court, the enormity of 430,023 signatures,” he announced the president of PIT-CNT, Marcelo Abdala, at a press conference. As announced a few weeks ago, the initiative promoted by the union center not only reached the floor of 270,000 adhesions – 10% of the electoral roll – but far exceeded it. “It is a victory for democracy,” said the union leader.
If the formal procedure is approved and the plebiscite is called on October 27, Uruguayan citizens will have to decide if they choose to maintain the social security reform implemented last year or if, on the contrary, they choose the proposal of the PIT-CNT: setting the retirement age at 60 years, equating the minimum pensions to the national minimum wage and eliminating the AFAP and profit.
A problem for the Frente Amplio?
The presidential candidate for Independent Party (PI) and current minister of Work and Social Security (MTSS), Pablo Mieres, said that “the first problem” with the plebiscite of the PIT-CNT he’s going to have it Wide Front“which has a problem of division in its ranks, between those who support and those who do not support, and pretend to be the government.”
In that sense, he stressed that his party has a clear position regarding the proposal, while in the Wide Front “there is freedom of action.” An example of this is the support of the mayor of Montevideo and presidential candidate, Carolina Cosse, while his opponent in the internal Yamandu Orsiwas against it because of the way in which the project is worded.
“It is outrageous and the party is against it, it is nonsense and it is going to be a catastrophe for social security,” said the PI representative.
Source: Ambito
