Fiery protests sparked outside Argentina’s congress on Wednesday after the Chamber of Deputies voted to block a bill instating an increase in pensions. Previously, the bill had been vetoed by President Javier Milei, who says his priority is to maintain fiscal balance.

The opposition failed to secure the two-thirds vote needed to overturn the presidential veto after a session that lasted for four hours. The voting results ended with 153 legislators in favor of the pension hike, 87 against it, and 8 abstentions.

Protesters, infuriated by the vote of the congress took to the streets clashing with the police. In a video, some were captured breaking into a barrier set by the police. Police were seen taking harsh measures such as using pepper spray and firing rubber bullets to suppress the protests. The protestors have accused the police of using excessive force which has left some of them injured including a 10-year-old girl who was sprayed with a substance by another protestor.

Following the voting, President Milei applauded the Libertad legislators on his X account ( formerly Twitter) saying,

Today 87 heroes put a stop to the degenerate prosecutors who tried to destroy the fiscal surplus that we Argentines managed to achieve with so much effort. Evidently, politicians continue to think that we Argentines are stupid and we do not see their malicious maneuvers to overthrow a government that for the first time chooses to tell Argentines an uncomfortable truth instead of a comfortable lie. Zero deficit is NON-NEGOTIABLE LONG LIVE FREEDOM, DAMN IT…!!!

According to Red, the state pension which is approximately 234,000 pesos per month has highly depreciated due to the high inflation which peaked last month. As a result, access to subsidized medicine for the elderly and other necessities has been affected under Milei’s regime. Despite the surge of inflation to 4.2 percent in August, the government is confident that it will fall to less than 3 percent by the end of December.

The government has promised to keep up the austerity measures saying, “Any increase in public spending which compromises fiscal balance will encounter a non-negotiable wall in this president and the 87 patriots of the legislative branch. If necessary, we will veto everything.”