Overview
- The Chamber of Deputies gave the government a key win on Thursday by approving the Ley Hojarasca and a narrower Zonas Frías map to cut gas subsidies, with the measure passing 132 to 105 and four abstentions.
- The bills now move to the Senate for final approval, leaving room for further negotiation because senators must still sign off on the geographic redefinition and the compensatory tariff measures offered to some provinces.
- La Libertad Avanza built an ad hoc majority by courting the PRO, UCR, MID and several provincially aligned deputies to open the session and pass the government's agenda, winning support from governors' allies while some provincial deputies voted against or abstained.
- The Zonas Frías change reduces the areas eligible for gas-subsidy protections and includes targeted tariff exemptions for selected northern and litoral provinces, a shift that will raise heating and energy costs for households and businesses outside the new map.
- The executive pledged more deregulatory bills to Congress, but its momentum may be constrained by an escalating intra-coalition dispute and a developing judicial probe into Chief of Cabinet Manuel Adorni, which could weaken bargaining with provinces and senators.