Argentina - January 2023

As Argentina marks the beginning of an electoral year, President Alberto Fernandez formally requested that Congress impeach four Supreme Court justices. This follows a ruling last month in which the Court restored federal tax revenues to the opposition-controlled city of Buenos Aires. In the impeachment proceedings, the four justices are accused of violating Article 1 of the Constitution, which is meant to protect federalism in Argentina. The government is expected to present leaked communications as evidence of corruption which are purported to show improper coordination between members of the Court and opposition officials.

President Alberto Fernandez claims the ruling was an “unacceptable intervention of the judicial power over other powers in Argentina, demonstrating the outrageous ties between part of the political class and the judiciary.” Opposition Congressmembers have condemned the impeachment request, alleging it is an undemocratic attack on the judiciary by the government. Similarly, Human Rights Watch warned the impeachment process was “an assault on the rule of law”. 

Sources: El Pais, Buenos Aires Herald, La Voz, Reuters