Rincon versus Provoste: The Train Wreck Threatening to Bleed in Congress
The civil war within the Christian Democracy is waging one of its fiercest battles in the Senate, a space in which, generally, the members of the Legislative Branch tend – it is assumed – to restraint and to seek greater care of the forms. But they have been lost as that severe fracture deepens that has ended up exposing even more the struggle between two worlds that seem increasingly exclusive, irreconcilable and distant, with two “generals” completely opposed to each other: Ximena Rincón versus Yasna Provoste.
SMA launches against elite real estate projects for building in ecological preservation zones
The Superintendency of the Environment (SMA) initiated a procedure to require environmental assessment of the Hacienda Guay Guay and Mirador Pie Andino projects, as in the cases of La Cumbre and Chaguay. These four complexes are closely linked to “powerful” people, such as Gabriela Luksic, Vittorio Corbo Urzúa, Diego Errázuriz Zañartu, and José Luis Délano. These real estate projects have a history of environmental complaints.
Kayser case and the five forgotten dead of the social outbreak: relatives of the victims point against the prosecutor José Morales
About three years have passed since the fire in the Kayser winery in the commune of Renca – in the context of the social outbreak – which, once put out by firefighters, exposed the bodies of five people inside. At that time, a thesis was installed that is rejected by the relatives of the victims: that the people died intoxicated by the smoke at times when they participated in a looting and that, counterintuitively, they remained in the place despite the flames. The doubts of the relatives find support in a forensic anthropological report that accuses technical inconsistencies in the expert reports prepared by the Legal Medical Service. But months and years go by, and the families maintain that so far the North Central prosecutor, José Morales, has shown indifference. Meanwhile, the Chamber of Deputies is preparing to activate the work of an investigative commission to investigate the actions of the auxiliary justice agencies and that should begin its sessions in a couple of weeks. Details of the case here.
The white elephant of the GAM: the ambitious Bicentennial cultural project that Bachelet and Piñera farrearon
It was announced as a major Bicentennial project by former President Michelle Bachelet and began construction in 2015. The commitment was that it was going to be finished two years later, but the responsible construction company went bankrupt. Since then, several governments have passed, without the $60 million work currently having an end date. Moreover, neither the authorities of the Bachelet government nor of former President Piñera have wanted to take responsibility for the negligence in their management. From the MOP, the liberal Juan Carlos García promises to shoulder the initiative and insist again on the tenders, which until now has not been interested in resuming the works, given that the price would be much higher than the project tendered. “If they want to do this it’s fine, because in Chile there is no room of this caliber. In South America, either. But you can’t do it with forty billion pesos! You have to have two or three times more,” says architect Ramón López, former chairman of the GAM board. The truth is that the white elephant, which started as an ambitious avant-garde initiative, is now in ruins.
Hasty announcement of free abortion destabilizes Minister Orellana’s position of power
As a tense political week have been evaluated these days, since both the official sectors, opposition and civil society have not been indifferent to the announcement made by the Minister of Women and Gender Equity, Antonia Orellana, on the presentation of an eventual project of free and safe abortion. Was it a mistake on the part of the minister to move forward in this matter? While for some this is a provocation and a confrontational position that obviously affects the long-awaited constitutional agreements, for others the declarations finally mean a firm step towards the consecration of women’s rights. However, this announcement could be considered orellana’s first misstep, because, in the face of the various reactions, the Secretary of State had to point out that for the moment the proposal of abortion without causes is not a priority.
Tomás Casanegra: “The Chilean stock market is cheap and there are great opportunities for the investor who has endurance”
The influential investor and company directoras says that uncertainty remains the main factor weighing on Chilean stocks, while affirming that there are very good and well-priced equity assets. “You have to look at companies that charge in dollars and their costs are in weight,” he says. Regarding the political rift, Casanegra assures that for the hard investor the ideology does not weigh so much, as some believe, when making decisions. Relive a new chapter of La Mesa.
After the plebiscite, an opportunity for governability
If the results of the four significant elections that in less than two years were related – directly or indirectly – to a new Constitution are put together, the will for change is clear, in addition to the rational and peaceful way to which citizens aspire. Although it is a fact that the Constitutional Convention did not meet expectations, it is expected that the positive macro-constitutional aspects outlined in the failed proposed text can be taken advantage of in a new Magna Carta, such as gender parity, decentralization and guaranteed social rights, among others. The new Fundamental Charter is already part of a country program and not of a government program, so today the fundamental thing is that the Government applies itself to govern – in the broadest sense of this word – thus generating governability; which, obviously, includes the application of the legitimate force of the State, in accordance with the law. We close this newsletter with an editorial theme.
