Brazil & Southern Cone - December 2019

Paraguay’s budget goes back and forth: On 3 December, Paraguay’s 80-member chamber of deputies ratified a new version of the 2020 budget which had to be sent back to the senate, as both chambers in the legislature have so far failed to approve the same version of the draft budget amid popular demands for increased spending. After the finance ministry presented a draft budget for G$85.5tn (US$13.27bn) to congress in September, the chamber of deputies first approved a version of the budget worth G$86.17tn on 13 November. The senate then ratified an amended version on 27 November, worth G$86.2tn. The chamber went on to approve yet another version on 3 December, worth G$86.36. Protests are contributing to this indecision, as public sector workers campaigning for better salaries have secured benefits from the amendments – teachers will receive a 16% salary increase in April 2020, while the state-owned electricity firm (Ande) will receive an extra G$30bn to improve workers salaries and pensions.       

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