BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentine protesters clashed with police outside the country’s Congress on Wednesday after lower house lawmakers voted to block a planned pension increase opposed by right-wing libertarian President Javier Milei.
The Chamber of Deputies voted with 153 votes in favor of the pension increase and 87 against. This fell short of the two-thirds needed to pass the bill, after Milei previously vetoed it, saying it would jeopardize the country’s plan for a balanced budget.
As news of the vote spread, hundreds of people protesting in central Buenos Aires broke down barriers erected by police and clashed with security forces in the streets in riot gear.
Argentina’s government is pushing for a tough austerity package to reverse years of budget deficits and curb high inflation. This has helped strengthen state finances, but has also hit the real economy and left more people in poverty.
