The legislative initiative known as "Ficha Limpia", which aimed to prevent individuals convicted of corruption from being candidates for elected positions, did not achieve the necessary majority for its approval in the Argentine Nation Senate, failing by a single vote. The ruling party, which needed 37 votes to pass the bill, was surprised by the change of stance of the senators from the province of Misiones, Sonia Rojas Decut and Carlos Arce, allies of the government.
Both legislators, belonging to the Frente Renovador de la Concordia Social, a political space linked to the Misiones governor Hugo Passalacqua, had publicly expressed their intention to support the measure in private conversations. Marra, one of the proponents of the project, revealed that he had been warned five days prior about the possibility that these senators would "betray the Argentine people".
The unexpected change of position from Arce and Rojas Decut caused discomfort among the opposition blocks that expected to count on those votes. Even Arce had manifested his support for the project, labeling it as "a very important law" that needed to be approved, despite having previously allied with the ruling party in significant votes.
After nearly seven hours of session, the senators quickly left the chamber after casting their negative votes that thwarted the project's approval. Meanwhile, the Kirchnerist bloc celebrated the outcome as an achievement, considering the extensive public debate generated by the failed initiative.
Gastón Marra, one of the main promoters of the law, expressed his disappointment at Rojas Decut's behavior, who allegedly committed to vote in favor, even reaffirming it in public statements days before. With the project's failure, a negotiation phase opens to define the final composition of the Supreme Court, and candidates are expected to be announced in the near future.
