25/06/2026 03:19 - Politica
Argentina's Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of Congress, similar to the House of Representatives) experienced a moment of political suspense on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, when the ruling coalition found itself with only 128 legislators present—exactly the minimum required to open the session. Four minutes before the convocation deadline expired, Adrián Ravier had to enter the chamber and take his seat as a deputy, postponing his resignation which had been announced the previous Friday by Manuel Adorni himself.
The scenario was unprecedented: Ravier, designated as the new presidential spokesperson to replace Adorni amid the scandal over his 775% patrimonial increase, had to wait behind the curtains until quorum was confirmed. Only when Chamber President Martín Menem formalized the opening of the session did the four deputies from Misiones province who respond to Hugo Passalacqua and Carlos Rovira enter the chamber.
The Super RIGI (Régimen de Incentivos para Grandes Inversiones - Large Investment Incentive Regime) is a revamped version of an investment framework originally voted as part of the Bases Law in June 2024. Think of it as a special economic zone framework designed to attract foreign capital. The project seeks to offer:
The regime aims to attract multi-million dollar investments in strategic sectors such as energy, mining, and infrastructure, offering legal predictability conditions that the government considers essential for economic development. For international observers, this is comparable to special economic zones in other countries, but applied nationwide for large-scale projects.
Required quorum: 128 deputies
Present at start: 128 legislators
Debate duration: Over 10 hours
Censure motion: 104 in favor, 125 against
Signatures against Adorni: 120 of 129
The second central topic of the session was the authorization to pay USD 171 million to a group of bondholders who resisted entering Argentina's debt exchanges since the 2001 default (the largest sovereign default in history at the time, approximately $100 billion). This project already has Senate approval and represents the closure of a historical gap with the so-called holdouts or vulture funds.
Holdouts are sovereign bond holders who rejected the debt restructurings offered by Argentina after the 2001 default. Unlike bondholders who accepted the exchanges (2005 and 2010), these creditors maintained legal claims in international courts, especially in New York under the jurisdiction of Judge Thomas Griesa. For nearly 15 years, Argentina was effectively locked out of international capital markets due to these disputes.
The session unfolded amidst a scandal involving Manuel Adorni, the Cabinet Chief (a role similar to Chief of Staff or Prime Minister in parliamentary systems), who is questioned for a 775% patrimonial increase (from declaring $20 million to $944 million). A censure motion has accumulated 120 signatures of the 129 necessary.
Deputy Myriam Bregman from the Workers' Left Front (FIT, a Trotskyist coalition) promoted a departure from regulations to advance the censure motion, arguing that Adorni "lied in this chamber, backed by the President and the cabinet." However, the initiative failed with 125 votes against and 104 in favor.
Deputy Maximiliano Ferraro from the UCR (Radical Civic Union, one of Argentina's oldest parties, founded in 1891) attempted to empower the Constitutional Affairs Committee to issue a ruling next week, but also failed to obtain the necessary votes.
The ruling coalition achieved quorum thanks to support from:
Patricia Bullrich (former Security Minister and PRO leader) was present in the VIP seats to accompany Martín Matzkin, who assumed Ravier's position after quorum was reached.
The debate on Super RIGI and holdout payments will extend for over 10 hours. Projects against Adorni were referred to the Constitutional Affairs Committee, where they will be discussed starting June 30, 2026. The Cabinet Chief must appear before the Senate on July 2, 2026.
Judge Ariel Lijo is in charge of the judicial investigation into Adorni's patrimonial increase, while Adrián Ravier will formally assume his position as the new presidential spokesperson once his resignation as deputy is finalized.
Source: La Política Online
Alfredo S. Quiroga
