Legislative balance: Congress had fewer sessions and approved fewer laws in the first year of Javier Milei

In anticipation of a possible period of extraordinary sessionswhich would include a request to evaluate sanctions against Senator Edgardo Kueider, the first year of government Javier Milei ended with intense negotiations but few approvals in the Congress. Of all the bills that became law, none were presented by deputies of La Libertad Avanzabut its origin was the Executive or the opposition.

The 2024 report of the Legislative Directorate, which compared the first years of administration of the last four presidents, revealed that Milei’s government is the one that enabled the least sessions, passed the fewest laws and, despite being the one that put the smallest number of projects up for consideration for voting, it had the lowest approval percentage in the last 14 years: only 3 out of 26, for a meager 12% compared to their predecessors (47% for Cristina Kirchner, 40% for Mauricio Macri and 50% for Alberto Fernández).

It also had a growing number of Decrees of Necessity and Urgency (DNU)with 51 in its first twelve months, well above the beginning of the administrations of Cristina Kirchner (11) and Mauricio Macri (17)but below the decrees of Alberto Fernandez (78)whose first year of government was marked by the pandemic.

Congress: laws sanctioned in the government of Javier Milei

He first period of ordinary sessions of Javier Milei It was also the one with the fewest laws passed in the last four terms. Were 44 against 64 from Alberto Fernández’s first year, 97 from Mauricio Macri and 114 from Cristina Kirchner. Another important record is that 36 of the legislations that obtained sanction came from the Executive and another 8 from the parliamentary opposition, so The members of the La Libertad Avanza bench were unable to advance any of their initiatives.

There is a detail regarding these laws that obtained approval. Of the total initiatives sanctioned (44), 31 referred to international treaties and another 4 to establish festivities, special dates or national capitals.. In addition, two proposals with parliamentary sanction were vetoed by the Government: the strengthening of the university budget and the reform of the retirement regime.

This leaves as legislative balance two approvals that structure the entire governmental design of La Libertad Avanza: the approval of the Law Bases (with exceptional powers included) and the tax reform. The electoral reform of Single Paper Ballot and the expansion of the crimes stipulated within the National Registry of Genetic Data. On the other hand, the declaration of emergency of the province of Córdoba due to the fires that damaged the region in September of this year.

Congress: fewer sessions, waiting for definitions of extraordinary sessions

This year, another peculiarity was also expressed in the parliamentary sphere: it was the one with the fewest sessions called in the first year of Government. There were only 24, against 45 for Alberto Fernández, 39 for Mauricio Macri and 43 for Cristina Kirchner. Simultaneously, 15 of the sessions in Javier Milei’s first months were special calls.

There was a particularity at the close of the extraordinary cycle, the moment of greatest activity of Congress in 2024: the recurrence of sessions closed due to lack of quorum due to the boycott of spaces that rejected the projects included in the agendas. In November, Five of the last six calls could not be made. The only exception was the day in which the law against Gambling addiction and online betting.

Meanwhile, we are awaiting the official announcement of the call for extraordinary sessionswhich would extend to the December 27. In this sense, the Government hopes to obtain agreements to call for activity in commissions and rule on the initiative of elimination of STEPalthough he still does not have the support of his usual allies. At the same time, it is at a crossroads in case the project reaches the site of the Senate. There Peronism would propose dismissing Edgardo Kueiderally of Freedom Advances: while that possibility is latent, they would avoid calling the upper house.

Full report