The Congress of Argentina Limited Milei«s Ability to Govern by Decree 0 20

Milei, whose right-wing party is in parliamentary minority, has issued 22 decrees since taking office in December 2023 to implement planned austerity measures.

The Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of Congress, passed amendments to the law regulating presidential decrees with 140 votes in favor, 80 against, and 17 abstentions.

These amendments, previously approved by the Senate — the upper house of Congress, stipulate that now even one of the chambers of parliament can annul a presidential decree.

Previously, the consent of both chambers of Congress was required to annul a decree.

The bill will now be sent back to the Senate, where its final approval is expected.

This vote was another blow to the 54-year-old Milei, who is facing scandals within his party, a falling peso — which forced him to seek financial assistance from the U.S. in September — and already three votes in Congress that overturned his veto on increasing funding in various areas.

Milei came to power promising to revive Argentina's economy and curb inflation. He has managed to reduce the high inflation rate and achieve a budget surplus by significantly cutting government spending.

Milei, who positioned himself during the election campaign as an outsider candidate, referred to Congress as a "den of rats" and its deputies as a "political caste."

A serious test for Milei will be the upcoming midterm elections on October 26, where half of the Chamber of Deputies and a third of the Senate will be re-elected.

Milei's party, "Liberty Advances" (La Libertad Avanza), suffered a defeat in early September in the provincial Buenos Aires legislative assembly elections, which were seen as a litmus test of Milei's popularity. The centrist-left Peronist movement won these elections.