In a marathon session that ended at 3:50 a.m. on May 1, the Legislature repealed Law 1529. With a cross-party majority of 11 votes, the legislative body halted the Executive's attempt to advance a constitutional reform that, under the guise of the Malvinas Question, sought to guarantee the perpetuation of a government besieged by crisis and scandals.

The calendar marked a symbolic coincidence. Today, May 1, 2026 , as the Constitution of Tierra del Fuego celebrates 34 years, 10 months, and 30 days in effect , the provincial legislature decided to protect it from what many considered an assault on its institutional integrity. The repeal of Provincial Law No. 1529 is not only a legislative setback for Governor Gustavo Melella ; it represents the collapse of a political strategy that attempted to use the Malvinas cause as a smokescreen for personal reelection ambitions.

The "Enough" session

At the request of legislator Jorge Lechman (Somos Fueguinos) , who asked to expedite the bill's consideration, the chamber became the stage for a substantive debate on the province's future. With 11 votes in favor and only 4 against —belonging to the FORJA and Sumemos Tolhuin blocs—the law enabling the reform process was repealed.

Lechman , the central figure of the day, was emphatic as he held up the constitutional text: “This little book is the fundamental tool of this province. All of us sitting here swear to respect it, uphold it, and enforce it.” The broad consensus, which included legislators from diverse political groups such as Pablo Villegas , Juan Carlos Pino , Laura Colazo, and Natalia Gracianía , made it clear that Melella's adventure no longer had any political or social support.

The cost of "Sovereign Distraction"

From Agenda Malvinas, we have consistently denounced this reform process as a calculated political operation . While the government was spending energy and resources trying to modify 70 articles of the Constitution , the reality in the province shows an alarming neglect of issues of real sovereignty.

A government besieged by its own reality

The reform was intended as a safe passage for a third term amidst a climate of destruction of the promoted industry , worker layoffs, declining public investment, and sex scandals that have undermined Gustavo Melella 's credibility. The attempt to "protect" Law 19.640 or "incorporate" the Malvinas Islands into the province's name turned out to be, for most legislators, a "formal mention without concrete mechanisms" that only sought to distract from the austerity measures and the crisis in health and education.

The road to reconstruction

This morning's repeal puts an end to the threat of unnecessary spending in a province where the pension fund is non-functional, the social security system has ceased to protect the health of state employees, state salaries have been decimated, and the port of Ushuaia is under government intervention. As Lechman pointed out at the close of the session, Tierra del Fuego's political leaders must understand that they are "circumstantial opponents, not enemies," and that reality dictates that those in political leadership must focus on resolving the deep structural crisis in Tierra del Fuego.

Today the province has an opportunity: to stop focusing on the "coastal ambitions" of its leaders and begin legislating with real tools to defend the sea that surrounds us and the dignity of those who inhabit Isla Grande, Antarctica, and our South Atlantic Islands . The 1991 Constitution remains in effect; now it remains for the Government to finally begin to comply with it.