Argentina Congress suspends pension reform vote due to protests

Argentina’s lower house on Thursday suspended a vote on President Mauricio Macri’s pension reform plan, after the debate became a shouting match and protesters and police clashed violently outside Congress.

The bill, which passed the Senate last month, is crucial for Macri’s efforts to cut the fiscal deficit but has drawn criticism from opposition politicians and labor unions, who say it will hurt retirees and welfare recipients.

Before Thursday’s scheduled vote, the country’s top union called a general strike for the following day. Demonstrators threw stones at metal barriers set up outside parliament, and security forces responded with rubber bullets and tear gas.

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