La Rioja announced that it will take its territorial boundary claim against San Juan to the Supreme Court of Justice, in a dispute that has again strained the political relationship between the two provinces.
La Rioja State Attorney Emilio Rodríguez said technical teams are working on a court filing to seek the annulment of decree-law 18,004, issued in December 1968 during the de facto government of Juan Carlos Onganía.
La Rioja's argument is that the rule illegitimately modified provincial boundaries. The claim relies on La Rioja's provincial constitution and on a recently enacted provincial law promoted by Ricardo Quintela to reject the limits set during the dictatorship.
San Juan's response was immediate and political. Governor Marcelo Orrego said San Juan's jurisdiction is not up for discussion and stressed that the boundaries have been in force for 57 years and were confirmed by the National Congress in 2014.
Orrego also called on all political forces in the province to defend, in unity, the territory, resources, future and symbols such as Ischigualasto. San Juan's Chamber of Deputies had already approved a declaration repudiating the actions of La Rioja's government.
The conflict has a complex legal component. A provincial law cannot by itself modify interprovincial boundaries, so La Rioja is now directing its strategy on two fronts: precautionary measures before the Supreme Court and efforts with national legislators to bring the discussion to Congress.
The dispute also has a political reading. Quintela has a broad legislative majority in La Rioja to sustain his institutional offensive, while in San Juan the ruling party managed to align even the local Justicialist Party behind the territorial defence.
The case opens a long-range dispute: not only over a provincial border line, but over territorial sovereignty, resources, San Juan identity and the Supreme Court's ability to order a conflict combining history, federalism and electoral politics.
