Argentina's President Javier Milei temporarily appointed two Supreme Court judges by decree Tuesday, bypassing Congress during its summer recess to push through a particularly controversial candidate in a move criticized as an overreach of executive power.
Milei nominated federal judge Ariel Lijo and lawyer Manuel García-Mansilla last year but struggled to get approval in the Senate, where his libertarian coalition controls just seven of the 72 seats.
“President Milei cannot pretend to evade the institutional mechanisms simply because he has not obtained the necessary votes in the Senate to appoint his candidates,” said Juanita Goebertus, Americas director at the New York-based watchdog.
But lawmakers and officials have questioned the suitability of federal judge Lijo, who has been accused of conspiracy, money laundering and illicit enrichment, and has come under scrutiny for more ethics violations than almost any other judge in his court’s history.
“The Senate chose to remain silent" even though “the suitability of the candidates for the position was demonstrated,” Milei's office said Tuesday.
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