'Per saltum,' Budget 2013 bills cleared for debate

The Budget 2013 and the bill aimed at regulating the so-called “per saltum” were cleared for debate by the Upper House's Budget, Treasury and Constitutional Affairs Committees, respectively. Both bills will be debated at the floor on Wednesday 31.

The Budget bill was supported by the majority bloc of the Upper House, which in this committee is the Victory Front, headed by Aníbal Fernández.

The bill has already been preliminary approved by the Lower House and it is expected to be passed without amendments.

The Radical Party and the rest of the opposition announced that they will not vote in favour.

The Constitutional Affairs Committee rapidly cleared the bill aimed at regulating the so-called “per saltum,” an extraordinary appeal to let the Supreme Court decide on “serious institutional cases” which require a “swift, definite solution” without going through lower courts first.

The initiative will now be debated along the Budget bill next Wednesday.

The Kirchnerite caucus said on October 17 that the initiative, which was signed by Senators Pichetto, Fernández and Marcelo Fuentes (Neuquén), is meant to force the high court to take the issue of the Media Law into their own hands.

Recently, the Supreme Court voiced no intention of deciding which judge will preside over the controversial case.