April 5th, 2024
1. Governors’ meeting with Chief of Staff Nicolás Posse regarding the Omnibus Law
On Thursday, April 4, the governors of Juntos por el Cambio, who support the ruling party, held a meeting at Casa Rosada headed by the Chief of Cabinet, Nicolás Posse, accompanied by the Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Francos; the Secretary of Finance, Carlos Guberman; the Executive Secretary of Government, José Rolandi, and the Secretary of the Interior, Lisandro Catalán. The objective was to negotiate the main points and aspects of the Law of Bases and Starting Points for the Freedom of Argentines, better known as the Omnibus Law, before the bill is formally sent to the Chamber of Deputies. The debate is expected to begin in the commissions in the middle of this month. According to sources of Juntos por el Cambio, there was a general consensus in the group to support both the majority of the Ley Bases and the 25 de Mayo Pact proposed by president Javier Milei, although differences still persisted on some issues.
2. Javier Milei participated in an act commemorating the combatants of the Malvinas War
President Javier Milei and Vice-President Victoria Villarruel led the central act at the Cenotaph of the Fallen in commemoration of the veterans and the fallen in the Malvinas War. During his speech, the President called on all political parties and society “to a new era of reconciliation of the Argentine people with the Armed Forces.” “I want this government to transcend and pay sincere homage to our heroes, giving the Armed Forces the place of recognition and support they deserve,” he said. The President also summoned the chiefs of the three armed forces and the veterans of the Malvinas War to participate as witnesses and guarantors of the May Pact that the Government intends to sign with the provinces on May 25, in Córdoba. The President’s message also included economic definitions. “For sovereign claims to be heard and respected, it is a necessary condition for the country and its leadership to be respected; nobody would take seriously the claim of serial defaulters,” he said.
3. Second quarter of the year: good agricultural settlement and government debt payments
During the second quarter of the year, the Central Bank will have to disburse US$4 billion for different types of debt payments, from maturities with international organizations to foreign currency transfers to provincial government bondholders. At the same time, this will be the quarter in which the largest foreign currency inflow is expected to be recorded due to the liquidation of the agricultural sector. According to the Chamber of the Oil Industry and Grain Exporters Center (CIARA-CEC), the liquidation of exporting companies in March was 22% higher than in the same month of last year. So far in 2024, it improved by 61% year-on-year.
4. Argentina reached its historic peak in dengue cases
In the midst of the historic peak of cases, the Minister of Health, Mario Russo, referred to the problem of dengue fever in Argentina, which has already caused 129 deaths. The national official clarified that, according to the available data, “the vaccine is not effective to mitigate the outbreak,” stressed that the lack of repellents “will be remedied” and called for prevention at home. During the Federal Health Council, together with all the provincial health ministers, the strategies carried out in each of the jurisdictions were analyzed. All the ministers agreed that the elimination of the mosquito in the territory is the first line of defense to stop dengue, and that the key is local and peridomiciliary work to combat it. This is a task that must be carried out continuously, not only due to the current context but also in anticipation of the next summer season, in order to arrive with a lower mosquito population.
Clarín: El ministro de Salud rompió el silencio y habló del dengue: “Esto no es covid, es otra cosa”
5. Union claims continue
After Wednesday’s protests, the Association of State Workers (ATE) concluded in a plenary of delegates that determined to call a national strike of state workers for this Friday. The new measure of force was announced by the General Secretary of ATE, Rodolfo Aguiar. On the other hand, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) is preparing to carry out a “great mobilization” for May 1, Workers’ Day, and does not rule out a new general strike against the government of Javier Milei, within the framework of the validity of the DNU 70/2023 and the imminent entry of the new Omnibus Law bill to Congress, after the parliamentary setback in February. At the exit of the meeting of the truck drivers’ union at the headquarters of the Unión Del Personal Civil De La Nación (UPCN), the co-head of the CGT, Héctor Daer, announced that on Thursday, April 11, there will be a meeting of the Board of Directors. “There we will have the measure and everything we are going to do. We do not rule out a strike or mobilization,” said the union leader.