- BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (Reuters)
- Argentine politicians, blamed by voters for leading the country to its
worst economic crisis, would have to undergo psychiatric tests to ensure
they are mentally fit to hold office if a bill before Congress is approved.
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- Sen. Jorge Capitanich, a former Cabinet chief, has submitted
a bill that would require all congressional and presidential candidates
to take mental as well as physical exams, a spokesman for the legislator
said Wednesday.
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- The bill, possibly due for debate this week, would also
require future leaders to present any criminal records and proof they have
paid taxes in a country where half of potential revenues are lost to evasion.
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- Politicians are increasingly the target of public anger
among voters fed up with a recession now in its fifth year. Few lawmakers
can venture out in public without being insulted or spat on in the streets.
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- As March presidential elections approach, the most common
popular street slogan is "Get Rid of Them All!" Soaring poverty
and unemployment have sparked food riots over the last year and forced
four presidents since December 2001 to leave their posts.
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