Argentine President promotes impeachment trial to Supreme Court

The Argentine President Alberto Fernandezlaunched this Wednesday the parliamentary process of a political trial against the Supreme Court of Justice for “poor performance of its functions”, in a new stage in the struggle between the government and the judiciary.

Fernández took the first step by handing over the impeachment project to the head of the pro-government bloc of the Chamber of Deputies, Germán Martínez, and to the president of the Political Judgment Commission, Carolina Gaillard, who requested their “prompt treatment,” reported government.

The official Front of All (center-left) has the simple majority necessary to open the investigation stage, but lacks the two-thirds vote necessary in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate to advance the accusation and dismiss the four court magistrates. The fifth place is vacant.

In any case, in order to formally summon the Impeachment Commission It is necessary to call Extraordinary Sessions, which is estimated to be held next week.

The conflict between powers escalated in recent weeks after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the government of the Buenos aires city in a dispute with Fernández over the federal distribution of funds from tax collection.

Eleven of the 23 governors of the country’s provinces on Tuesday supported the request for impeachment.

The head of state accused the Supreme Court of “arbitrarily invading the spheres of the exclusive and excluding powers of the remaining powers” of the State. He also considered it “a political ruling for the electoral year”, in reference to the general elections next October in which the mayor of Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, is one of the presidential candidates of the right-wing opposition.

In response, the mayor of the capital accused Fernández of wanting to “break the constitutional order.” “Kirchnerism wants to go over the laws and change the arbitrator, who in a republic like ours is Justice.”

the opposition coalition Together for Changewhich is made up of the mayor, has already announced his rejection of the impeachment trial.

Fernández’s initiative is part of a bid between the government and the judiciary which, since the beginning of his term, in December 2019, he said he wanted to reform, particularly the Supreme Court.

According to a mid-2022 survey, more than 78% of Argentines have a “negative” or “very negative” opinion of the functioning of justice.

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