La Libertad Avanza modified the most controversial chapter of its project on private property to try to unblock it in the Senate. After five failed attempts at the venue and 17 drafts, the ruling party abandoned the complete elimination of limits on the purchase of rural land by foreigners. The new wording sent to allied blocs proposes raising the maximum allowed in the territory of each province from 15% to 25%.
The change leaves behind the initial intention of the Minister of Deregulation, Federico Sturzenegger, author of a proposal that sought to eliminate the current ceiling. The text that circulated from the presidency of the libertarian bloc now establishes a prohibition on acquisitions that exceed 25% of the province, both by foreign individuals and legal entities. The negotiation is no longer discussing an unrestricted opening, but rather an expansion of ten percentage points.
Patricia Bullrich will present the scheme in a conference scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m., along with senators Nadia Márquez and Agustín Coto. Before that exhibition, the bloc held a virtual meeting to organize its line of argument. The call seeks to end the uncertainty generated by the successive versions and show what will be the text that the ruling party intends to bring to Thursday's session.
This precision has not yet dispelled doubts among potential allies. A senator opposed to the land sale maintained that the changes were so many that he does not know which provisions remain and which were withdrawn. He also claimed to have received calls over the weekend without access to a clear final version. The instability of the project thus became an additional obstacle to the substantive discussion.
The official calculation reached a maximum of 34 votes and, with the new concession, Bullrich aspires to reach the 36 that his party considers necessary to advance. The pressure also responds to the Executive's need to free up the agenda for other issues, including political reform. Within the ruling party itself there is criticism of deregulatory projects that consume negotiation capital with governors and nearby blocs.
The legislative maneuver also includes the absence of Victoria Villarruel as president of the session. The vice president anticipated her rejection of the project, but she will be in charge of the Executive Branch when Javier Milei travels to Ecuador on Wednesday night; That is why she will not be able to lead the Senate and will be replaced by Bartolomé Abdala. On Thursday it will be checked if the new limit is enough to add allies or if the text once again remains without a majority.
