The repercussions continue for the boisterous agreement of reforms to the proposal of new Constitution signed this Thursday by the presidents of the parties of both government coalitions. After the statements of the helmsman of the PC, Guillermo Teillier, around that it can not be guaranteed that these changes will materialize, a new blow to the ruling party came from the Comptroller’s Office, when this Friday he responded to a letter sent by DC deputies that objected to the role of the minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segpres), Giorgio Jackson, as “articulator” of this agreement, establishing that, with this fact, he was failing to dispense, in the face of the plebiscite on September 4.
After the Minister spokeswoman of the Government, Camila Vallejo, emphasized that it is not a lack of dispensation, one of the participants in these talks, the senator and president of the Democratic Revolution (RD), Juan Ignacio Latorre, said that “the Comptroller’s Office itself recognizes that Minister Jackson has acted with complete legality, he has always said that he is willing to receive the proposals of all political forces, wherever they come from. We, the ruling parties, have already agreed on an exercise in unity and delivered the proposals to the Government. I suspect that the Rejection has not been able to reach an agreement and send their proposals, since they have nothing relevant to offer the country.”
Regarding the reasons why the ruling parties finally decide to square themselves in a reform agreement, the RD helmsman added that “President Boric was clear in pointing out that, in case the Rejection wins, a new constituent process must be urged from scratch. Now, the question remained as to what happens if the Approval wins, and obviously we must elaborate a roadmap of implementation and priorities and issues that must be clarified, and in that, this proposal of the ruling parties helps in that direction. This document seeks that citizens can approve with certainty.”
The senator for the Valparaíso Region said that the talks within the ruling party had been generated a few weeks ago, where on the one hand Democratic Socialism “tried to include its Approval with surnames”, and in Apruebo Dignidad – specifically in the Broad Front – they were by a logic of “Approve to implement”, emphasizing the mandate of laws of interpretative norms and legislative implementation, whose discussion will take place from September 5 in congress. In that sense, Latorre adds that behind this agreement, Chapter 11 of the proposal for a new Constitution is under consideration, which establishes a series of mechanisms to reform the Magna Carta itself, “where there is legislative initiative, presidential initiative, popular initiative – with certain quorums, of 4/7 plus plebiscite in substantive reforms.” That is, the parliamentarian defends the idea that it is a “flexible text”.
As for the complex negotiations that finally converged in the agreement signed on Thursday, the president of the DR assured that there were moments of tension, such as that “I approve Dignity did not want to touch the political system, but there was pressure from some senators, warning that, if that was not included, the agreement would not finally be signed.” In this regard, he added that “the parties are not monolithic inwardly,” and that in the process of discussion “not all Democratic Socialism was square with all its proposals, there were nuances within that coalition, and the same thing happened in Approve Dignity.”
In addition, specifically on the attributions of the Chamber of the Regions – one of the most complex points of the internal discussion and that was resisted until the end by the Broad Front and the PC – Latorre adds that “there have been senators from different sectors who have indicated that they do not like change and that they are about to replace the Senate, and there have been pressures in that regard. Now, by the way, there were sectors that said that more powers had to be included, but in no case was it the point that jeopardized the negotiation.”
The detail of the tense debate over the official agreement
On the development of the talks between the different political tents of Apruebo Dignidad and Socialismo Democrático, the only representative senator of the Frente Amplio assures that “there were moments of tension and distance, also considering that we were pressed to arriver soon to an agreement, and that it is a discussion that is between political leaders, on issues that often do not matter much to the citizens, and that occur precisely in the final stretch of the campaign”.
Precisely, around the concerns that arise about the balance of the new political system that is part of the constitutional proposal, Latorre specifies that, in case of winning the Approval, it will only be implemented in 2026, with the dissolution of the current Congress. In this sense, the president of DR recalls that there were negotiations regarding the possible attributions of the Chamber of the Regions – which would replace the current Senate – and that with this agreement agreed by all the ruling parties, a commitment is signed to make an analysis regarding the entire political system, including these new organs and the constituted powers. “It is a discussion for which we have time, where all parties have the right to present their reform proposals, and we will see in due course.”
But not only matters related to the political system were part of the pro-government negotiations. According to the senator for the Valparaíso Region, “there were red lines on the part of both coalitions,” with moments of tension, but where they finally managed to reach a consensus. Of course, Latorre warns that the political system was not the only neuralgic issue within this agreement: “There were other issues that were not included, such as the issue of abortion, where some sectors were in favor of including it among the reforms, and others said that this was a discussion that must be given with the feminist movement, and not arrogate to us the parties that decision, where we are mostly men. That was left out, but it was one of the topics of discussion.”
Finally, on the complex process that would come after September 5, with a hypothetical triumph of the Apruebo, the RD helmsman believes that “the implementation of the new Constitution implies a paradigm shift and a new transformative governance.” In addition, and dismissing structural differences between both pro-government coalitions, which jeopardize the governability of the Executive, the parliamentarian assures that “our adversary is the right, and we must question them. Understanding that they frighten people, misinform them, with the aim of defending a model of Constitution inherited from the dictatorship, and do not want fundamental changes. The right is hidden in this campaign, because apparently the faces of the Rejection are the ex-concertacionistas who are for that option, and the figures of the right – such as Sebastián Piñera or José Antonio Kast – try to be as hidden as possible. That is our real adversary, and we know that they seek to generate fear and confusion in the citizenry, with the aim of postponing the social crisis that precisely gave rise to this process,” he says.
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