Argentina’s Senate approves appointments of 67 judges and MERCOSUR–EFTA deal
Argentina’s Senate on Thursday approved the appointments of 67 judges and backed a free trade agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Free Trade Association. This marked another victory for President Javier Milei’s government in Congress, reports the Buenos Aires Times.
Judicial appointments
The upper chamber of parliament backed the appointments of Pablo Bertuzzi and Pablo Yadarola to key judicial posts connected with cases involving the $LIBRA cryptocurrency scandal and alleged corruption at the national disability agency ANDIS. According to the publication, these cases directly affect Milei’s siblings.
Sixty-six of the 72 senators voted in favor of most of the appointments. Bertuzzi’s candidacy was put to a separate vote: 44 senators supported it, while 23 voted against. Peronist bloc leader José Mayans said his fellow party members would support 66 candidates because of the large number of vacancies in the judicial system, but insisted on a separate vote on Bertuzzi.
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After the vote, the Senate approved approximately one-third of the 203 judicial candidates submitted by Justice Minister Juan Bautista Mahiques.
Agreement with EFTA
During the same session, senators approved five international agreements, including the free trade agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Free Trade Association. EFTA includes Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland — countries that are not members of the European Union.
The Senate also backed a new extradition treaty with Chile and Senator Ana Marks’ initiative to refer three bills addressing the problems of families with debt to committees. Patricia Bullrich, head of the libertarian bloc, said she intends to put political reform on the agenda next week.
