Argentina's Presidential "Superpowers" Examined

By Don Anque
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile - Recently, Argentina's Constitutional Affairs Commission will begin a meetings to discuss the "superpowers" that the executive power holds. 

President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner pictured here. Photo by the Buenos Aires Herald. 

In 1993, the Pacto de Olivos or Olivos Pact reformed the Argentinan Constitution.  The reforms created a clearer system of checks and balances and allowed for an increase for presidential term from 6 to 4 years.  In 2006, the policies of the elected Argentinana President Néstor Kirchner's have expanded presidential powers.  Now, Néstor Kirchner's wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, is serving as the current president. 

Through in the tax reforms President Kirchner has practically controlled the power of nearly all of the provincial governors, historically the most effective counterweight to presidency power.  Aside from tax reforms, President Kirchner founded state-owned enterprises and re-nationalized private companies. This enables the president to control employment and prices. 

President Kirchner has also appointed a majority of the judges in the Supreme Court, which granted Kirchner an effective veto over lower-court nominations. On August 3 2009, the Argentinan Congress gave Kirchner authority to reallocate government spending as he sees fit.  

Today, Kirchner supporters advocate to obtain an extension to keep the privilege of "superpowers" for one more year.  Despite the legal authority to maintain executive "superpowers," Kirchner announced an proposed limit on presidential re-appropriation of funding.  The new restriction imposes a 5% limit on the redistribution of the country's budget.

For more information, please see:

Buenos Aires Herald – 'Moreno's use of 'superpowers' is illegal', Pinedo - 30 July 2009

Clarin – Con dudas, la oposición dice que el límite a los superpoderes es un avance - 29 July 2009

La Nacion – Proyecto para limitar los superpoderes - 30 July 2009