Buenos Aires, Dec. 8 (NA) – The 23 newly elected senators of the Buenos Aires province today took the oath for the seats they won in the provincial elections held last September 7, with controversy surrounding those who requested a leave of absence, such as Gabriel Katopodis and Diego Valenzuela. The main event at the Buenos Aires Legislature was attended by the President of the National Chamber of Deputies, Martín Menem, along with the elected national deputy and libertarian architect Sebastián Pareja, the Kirchnerist advisor Lula Menem, and the head of the La Libertad Avanza bloc in the lower house of the Buenos Aires Legislature, Agustín Romo, as observed by the Argentine News Agency (NA).
Among this group of 23 new senators, five mayors decided to step down from their municipalities to pursue their careers in the Buenos Aires Legislature: Mario Ishii (José C. Paz), Guillermo Montenegro (General Pueyrredón), Pablo Petrecca (Junín), Germán Lago (Alberti), and Marcos Pisano (Bolívar).
In contrast, Valenzuela took his oath but shortly after requested a leave of absence to continue as mayor of Tres de Febrero, confirming that his candidacy at the top of the libertarian ticket for the First Electoral Section was merely symbolic. The same can be said for the Minister of Infrastructure and Public Services of Buenos Aires, Gabriel Katopodis, who will remain in Axel Kicillof's Cabinet after having been the head of the Fuerza Patria list for the same electoral section.
The Kirchnerist Roxana López, who was sixth on that list, will be the replacement in the Upper House of the Buenos Aires Legislature for the former mayor of San Martín. The former Minister of Security of Buenos Aires, Sergio Berni, questioned the requests for leave of absence from the elected senators, stating that they can only be made once they have taken office, starting December 10. For this reason, he filed a request for the nullification of the leaves, warning the President of the Senate, Vice Governor Verónica Magario, for "failure to fulfill the duties of a public official."
With the five mayors who took the oath to assume their seats in the Buenos Aires Senate, the number of local chiefs who have resigned from their posts in their districts to take on other functions has risen to 11, including Mayra Mendoza of Quilmes and Mariano Cascallares of Almirante Brown.
New Provincial Senators Peronism incorporated into its ranks the national deputy whose term ends this Tuesday, Mónica Macha of Nuevo Encuentro, and the former head of Aysa and leader of the Front for Renewal, Malena Galmarini. From Union for the Patria, Diego Videla and Valeria Arata (fourth electoral section); Fernanda Raverta, Jorge Alberto Paredi, and María Lura García (fifth section); and María Inés Laurini and Evelyn Díaz (seventh section) also took the oath to assume seats in the Senate. For La Libertad Avanza, María Luz Bambaci and Luciano Olivera (first electoral section); Gonzalo Cabezas and Analía Balaudo (fourth section); and María Cecilia Martínez and Matías de Urraza (fifth section) were sworn in.
From Somos Buenos Aires, Natalia Quintana (fourth electoral section) joins the Upper House of the Buenos Aires Legislature.
