Argentine Congress grants 'super powers' over budget to government

Aug 3, 2006, 19:31 GMT

Buenos Aires - Argentina's Congress granted so-called 'super powers' to the government of President Nestor Kirchner Thursday, giving him greater control over budgetary spending in the latest sign of an erosion of legislative power in the country.

The bill passed allows Kirchner's government to reallocate about 4.5-billion-dollars worth of budgeted spending without consulting legislators.

The lower house of Congress approved the proposal in the early hours of Thursday after an almost 12-hour-long session, by 135 votes to 91. The Senate had already given the green light on July 13.

'I need the instruments to be able to govern and take Argentina forward,' said the popular left-wing president on Wednesday before the vote.

But Argentina's opposition leader, Mauricio Macri, lambasted the bill as marking 'the death of the Republic,' while hundreds of politicians, business people and others gathered in a symbolic 'embrace' of the congressional building Wednesday, in protest for what they consider to be excessive power in the hands of Kirchner.

'Instead of super powers, we should be talking about the super weakness of Congress, the Constitution and democracy,' Macri said.

Congress set no time limit for the 'super powers,' and the only budgetary allotments not liable to executive changes are those related to security and intelligence.

The bill restricts the legislature's task to setting a total cap on the budget and the level of debt allowed in each fiscal period.

Recent opinion polls indicated that the business community is also skeptical about the new legislation.

Many critics speculate that the new powers are a political tool to be used in the incumbent's campaign for re-election in 2007. Kirchner has introduced a number of executive decrees over the last six months giving him greater control over Argentina's courts and legislature.

Since 1994, Congress has included provisions in the annual budget allowing the government to introduce modifications, but what was so far considered an extraordinary measure has now became law.