The right, especially the UDI, is divided. In fact, there is no monolithic position on how to pronounce in the plebiscite set for 23 April. The party released mayors to make their own decision. And it is that the mayors have taken the vanguard in terms of interpreting the demands of citizens. In October they organized a consultation in which he mostly won the vote in favor of a new Constitution. Several communal opposition chiefs were left with that momentum and say that in April they will support the “apruebo” option. Among them, Rodrigo Delgado mayor of Central Station.
Delgado in an interview with La Tercera, insisted that mayors have a different view from the rest of the politicians and this look influences their definitions. “If the plebiscite were this Sunday, I vote “I approve.” Among other things, because I feel responsible for a popular commune where in the last citizen consultation, almost 95% of the 24 thousand people who voted that day were for the “apruebo”. You have to listen to people and not be afraid of that participation. Many people want a new Constitution that is born in democracy, they believe it is the only way to achieve peace in Chile and a better country,” the building recognized.
Of course, the mayor emphasizes that his support for the “i approve” option has several nuances. “I am very fond of the “apruebo”, what disturbs me is the disposition of some of his promoters. I do not want my “i approve” tomorrow to be the same one who tried to prevent the PSU from occurring; I don’t want my “I approve” to be the same as someone who’s burning a mic or who’s throwing a molotov. I approve on the condition that there is absolute freedom of deliberation. For example, I can’t feel part of it if the “approve” chooses a constituent who says it’s pro-life, and within four hours has a horde of people surrounding his house. That’s my conflict, which is that of several UDI mayors,” he said.
Indeed, Delgado knows that his opinion is not in a majority. “It seems to me that the UDI has acted accordingly. Mostly the party is by ‘rejection’, it gave the mayors freedom of action because there are many who do think that a new Constitution is not necessarily synonymous with chaos.
Cohabitation within the UDI must also be one of tolerance, there are no times to impose on everyone to think the same. The UDI is an increasingly diverse party and that has to be reflected in the decisions.”
Certainly on the other side of the spectrum within the same collective, is one of the party’s historic ones. Juan Antonio Coloma. The senator is among those who think that the current social tension does not give guarantees for an orderly and successful process. “Two months ago there was – not only at udi, but at all – a willingness to have voted ‘I approve’, but things are evolving. Today the ‘apruebo’ identifies much more with those who want radical or total changes and that, in some way, is linked to making Chile again and making a leap into the void,” Coloma said.
The parliamentarian detailed his position as follows. “We have mostly suggested that we are in favour of positive rejection in April. We think that many of the improvements that can be made in Chile, you don’t have to do everything again, doing Chile again,” he explained.
