Economist.com Cities Guide: Buenos Aires Briefing - August 2006

News this month

Off the hook

Aníbal Ibarra, a former mayor of Buenos Aires, may be out of a job—the city council removed him from office in March for his poor performance—but, at least for now, he is not off to jail. On August 7th a judge found that Mr Ibarra was not criminally responsible for a fire in a nightclub that killed 194 people on December 30th 2004. Some victims’ families had sought to prove that Mr Ibarra broke the law by failing to act on information that 80% of the city’s dance clubs lacked proper licensing. Had Mr Ibarra responded appropriately, prosecutors argued, the nightclub would have been shut down and the tragedy avoided. But the judge ruled that such responsibility fell to the mayor’s underlings who worked directly on the issue.

Mr Ibarra told reporters he was pleased the courts had definitively established that a mayor cannot be held accountable for everything that happens in his city. Nonetheless, Mr Ibarra may not breathe easy for long, as prosecutors may haul him back into court to face allegations of bribe-taking.

Power to the president

Despite howls from academics, NGOs and his political opponents, in August Néstor Kirchner won a major expansion of presidential powers at the expense of Congress. On August 3rd the legislature approved the so-called “superpowers” bill, which lets the president’s cabinet chief amend the budget so long as the total amount to be spent remains unchanged. Even though Mr Kirchner’s allies in Congress effectively voted to relinquish their control over the budget, as any appropriation they make can now be modified by the executive, their loyalty to the president apparently trumped any instinct to preserve their branch’s prerogatives.

The bill comes on top of other measures to expand the president’s authority, such as revising the tax system to reduce the governors’ powers and earning a veto over congressional nominations of lower-court judges. But critics shouldn't worry about Mr Kirchner becoming too powerful, argued the president’s strongest backer in the legislature—his wife, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. “The best guarantee of the separation of powers is that Argentines can vote every two years [for Congress],” she told opposition lawmakers. “Don't be afraid, because if this government does horrible things as you fear it will, the people won’t vote for it, just like they didn't vote for you.”

A meaty dispute

Argentina’s farmers have been furious with the president, Néstor Kirchner, since he banned beef exports in March in an effort to lower domestic meat prices. In July they decided to fight back by launching a nationwide farm strike. The Argentine Rural Confederation (CRA), a trade group representing over 100,000 ranchers, ordered members to cease business between July 22nd and 25th. To counteract the strike's effect, government officials encouraged buyers at the Liniers market in Buenos Aires not to purchase meat until the 24th, to ensure supply during the strike. But this riled previously ambivalent farmers, prompting them to join the protest. Thus, on July 24th and 25th only 487 animals were brought into Liniers (compared with 15,000, as is usual on those days), causing prices to rise by 8%.

Mr Kirchner was not amused. He ordered all government officials to skip the opening ceremony of Argentina’s main livestock fair, the La Rural exhibition in Buenos Aires, for the first time in the event’s 120-year history. The CRA is considering staging more, longer strikes if Mr Kirchner continues to interfere with the beef market.

Justice, finally

Argentina continues to grapple with offences committed during the army dictatorship of 1976-83. One year after Argentina’s Supreme Court ruled that the pardons granted to mid-level officers who served under the dictatorship were unconstitutional, the first sentence in a human-rights case has been handed down. On August 4th a court ordered Julio Simón, a former police sergeant, to spend 25 years in jail for kidnapping José Poblete, a disabled Chilean, and his wife and children in 1978. Mr Simón was also found guilty of forcing Mr Poblete to perform sexual acts, fight with other prisoners and drag himself on the floor without his wheelchair. He also tortured Mr Poblete with electric shocks and kidnapped his young daughter and placed her with another family.

Although Mr Poblete’s mother had hoped the court would impose a 50-year sentence on Mr Simón, she said she was pleased with the verdict. More are expected: Mr Simón faces another trial for a further 145 kidnappings and 47 instances of torture. Some 1,000 human-rights cases involving army officers are pending.

The seventh plague

Buenos Aires residents may have thought they were trapped in the Book of Exodus on July 26th. Shortly before 4pm, the sky went dark and a fierce hailstorm barraged the city for 20 minutes. The smallest hailstones were about as big as golf balls; the largest resembled apples in size. Although the hail did not kill anyone, 14 people reported to hospitals with related injuries, and property throughout the city was damaged. Around 43,000 homes were left without electricity, and two subway lines were taken out of service. The hailstones also broke thousands of car windscreens, causing one-fifth of the city’s taxis to be taken out of service. The following day car-insurance companies were swamped with inquiries regarding hail coverage.

Catch if you can

August 2006

World Tango Championship

August 17th-27th 2006

Part of La Rural, the city's massive convention centre, will be converted into a sultry milonga this month for the fourth annual World Tango Championship. Last year’s event attracted more than 1,000 participants from across the world. In addition to competitions in two distinct dance styles, there is also a series of tango music concerts. Admission is free on a first-come, first-served basis.

La Rural, Avenida Santa Fe 4201 and Avenida Sarmiento 2704, Palermo. Tel: +54 0 (11) 4779-5300. Open: daily 5pm-1am (August 19th-20th, 2pm-1am). S

ee the championship's website.

More from the Buenos Aires cultural calendar