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On Constitution Day, Argentine Op-Ed Warns Against Emergency-Driven Power Grabs

The column warns that emergency claims are eroding checks on executive power.

Overview

  • The opinion piece, published for Constitution Day, revisits the 1853 charter signed in Santa Fe and the 2003 law that set May 1 as the national observance.
  • It highlights Article 29, which bans Congress or provincial legislatures from granting extraordinary powers and labels such acts null and punishable as treason.
  • The author says the Constitution allows short-term emergency tools but argues leaders often claim a never‑ending crisis to bypass limits and concentrate authority.
  • He warns of "intermittent republicans" who defend the charter in opposition but relax its limits in office, and he urges lawmakers and judges to enforce checks.
  • Citing U.S. Justice Louis Brandeis on separation of powers, the piece casts friction among branches as a needed safeguard that protects rights from autocracy.