2024-04-20 11:02:11
The decision of Argentine senators to increase their salaries by a single to double caused an outcry within the government, which described this decision as “shameful”, due to the economic crisis the country is going through.
The controversy broke out following an ultra-rapid vote in the plenary of the Senate which ratified the increase in the salaries of members of the upper house, justified by the strong inflationary surge in the country.
Economy Minister Luis Caputo said lawmakers showed a “disconnect” from the country’s reality, adding that their decision is “a shame.”
“The level of disconnection (of the senators) with the people and the current economic situation is total…” wrote the Minister of the Economy on his “X” account.
Previously, Argentine President Javier Milei strongly criticized the salary increase agreed by the senators, adding that “this is how the (political) caste acts”, in reference to the traditional political class which has been the favorite target of his criticisms during the electoral campaign.
The head of state particularly targeted opposition senators who approved the increase in their salaries, while the seven senators from his ultraliberal “Liberty Forward” party abstained during the vote.
However, opposition senators, such as Martin Lousteau, responded to the government’s criticism, saying it was “unfair that a senator earns the same salary as a bank teller.”
Martin Lousteau, one of the government’s most virulent critics in the Senate, said that the salary increase “was agreed” by all the parliamentary groups in the Senate, including the president’s party.
This controversy arises as the country goes through the worst crisis in recent years, with galloping inflation, drastic budget cuts and a drop in exports and agricultural production due to drought.
With MAP
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