Sunday, June 24, 2007

Argentina's Flag Day Public Holiday: Renewed Debate

Sources: Diario Hoy and Argentina public holidays. Leading socialist Argentine politician, Roberto Miguel Lischitz, has added his voice to a growing recent chorus of calls for a change in the calculation of the date of Argentina's Día de la Bandera (Flag Holiday) public holiday.

Analysis: This is part of a growing movement in Central and South America, whereby movable public holidays are reset to the fixed date of the event that they commemorate. Currently Argentina's Flag Day public holiday is held on the 3rd Monday in June, but in fact the official date it commemorates is June 20. A change of this public holiday to the fixed date of June 20 is not unlikely, as one will recall that in 2006 Argentina made the Malvinas Day public holiday a fixed, non-movable date, public holiday to be celebrated on April 2.