Lower house backs ‘Ficha Limpia’ anti-corruption bill

President Javier Milei’s government racked up another congressional victory on Wednesday as the lower house approved an anti-corruption bill that the opposition claims to target former president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

The so-called ‘Ficha Limpia’ (“Clean record”) bill, which blocks people with confirmed corruption convictions in the second instance from running for public office, was approved by the Chamber of Deputies after almost 12 hours of debate.

Wednesday’s vote – 144 in favour, 98 against, with two abstentions – is the first major success for President Milei in special summer sessions. The bill now passes to the Senate, where its approval looks doubtful.

The opposition says the bill is an attempt to weaken Peronism and “proscribe” Fernández de Kirchner – who served two terms from 2007 to 2015 – from running for office.

The former president was convicted in the second instance on corruption charges in the so-called ‘Vialidad’ case last November, a ruling she has vowed to appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. 

Fernández de Kirchner would be blocked from standing as a candidate if the bill, in its current form, passed into law. Its passage in the Senate seems unlikely, given Peronism is in the majority.

After two failed attempts last December, Milei took political responsibility for the bill’s success, tasking his team with winning the support of the pro-dialogue blocs.

In order to guarantee support in the lower house, La Libertad Avanza agreed to introduce amendments to the text. The new agreement, which unlocked quorum and the votes for the bill's approval, involved modifying a so-called "anti-proscriptive clause" and negotiating a cut-off date for second-instance rulings. 

Fernández de Kirchner and her allies have accused Milei of targeting her unfairly. The former president denies the allegations against her and is appealing her conviction. She has vowed to take the battle all the way to the Supreme Court.

In a fiery debate, opposition lawmakers slammed the ruling party, accusing it of seeking to “proscribe” its leader. 

Unión por la Patria lawmaker Julia Strada branded the bill as “cowardly,” claiming it targets “the only leader who could intervene to improve people’s lives.”

Her party colleague, Vanesa Siley, said that the ruling party is “only interested in outlawing Cristina.”

In a speech to the chamber, the Kirchnerite deputy said the bill would be “an important limitation on popular sovereignty: the right to elect and be elected.”

Left-wing Frente de Izquierda national deputy Nicolás del Caño warned the bill could give the Judiciary the right to “decide who can be candidates and who cannot.”

Lawmakers from La Libertad Avanza, PRO, Unión Cívica Radical and other pro-dialogue blocs dismissed the allegations, stating that the bill’s initial version dated back to 2016, before Fernández de Kirchner had been prosecuted.

The corruption charges Fernández de Kirchner faces are just one of a number of cases against her. She claims she is a victim of “lawfare.”

PRO deputy Silvia Lospennato, aligned with former president Mauricio Macri, a frequent ally of Milei's ruling party, hailed Congress for setting “a minimum ethical condition” for those seeking to occupy benches.

“Ten years ago the former president was not even convicted in the first instance when I was already walking these corridors to get ‘Ficha Limpia’” passed, said the deputy, one of the driving forces behind the bill, which she denies targets Fernández de Kirchner.

Fernández de Kirchner, who turns 72 on February 19, is currently the main opposition leader to Milei’s budget-slashing reforms. 

Since last year, the former vice-president has chaired the main Peronist party, the Partido Justicialista. The movement is recovering from last year’s election defeat to Milei, who has revelled in its misfortune.

Last November, the Federal Criminal Cassation Chamber upheld a first instance ruling that sentenced Fernández de Kirchner to six years in prison and political disqualification for fraudulent administration.

If it is upheld by the Supreme Court, the former vice-president would likely not serve any jail time because she is over 70 years of age.

– TIMES/AFP/PERFIL