What happened last night at the Argentine Parliament reminded us that we have a democratic government after all. After 18 hours of debate, and a 36 – 36 tie, it all came down on one vote, one man: Julio Cobos, the president of the Senate, and Argentine Vicepresident. If was his decision, the weight of the conflict that started in early March was all on him. “This is the most difficult moment of my life, all the eyes of the country are on me (…) History will judge me, I apologize if I am making a mistake. My vote is NOT positive”.
The law was not passed. But, will this put an end to the conflict. We can be hopeful, but I’d rather be realistic: “It ain’t over till it’s over” – there is more to come (we are used to crisis here in good old Argentina, let’s see what other propositions the government and KK have in store for us.
It is interesting to see the words that were most used by the Vicepresident Cobos during his speech, at Wordle.com
This is how the event was reported in the MSM:
New York Times: “Argentine Blocks Farm Export Tax”
BBC News: “No healing in Argentina’s bitter row”
La Nacion: Photogallery of a dramatic definition
La Nación: “The opposition qualifies the unfolding of the Senate as a turning point”
