Buenos Aires (Argentina), Jun 13 (AP) Argentine riot police blasted protesters with water cannons to disperse crowds outside of Congress on Wednesday, escalating tensions before lawmakers were expected to vote on state overhaul and tax bills proposed by President Javier Milei.

Libertarian Milei's political opponents, powerful trade unions and thousands of demonstrators converged around the Congress in downtown Buenos Aires when the Senate opened debate on the key legislation earlier in the day. The demonstrators urged senators to reject Milei's programme of harsh austerity and economic deregulation.

Also Read | Live News Updates Today.

The vote is the most serious test to date of the libertarian leader's vision of governance and change. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)