Last weekend, the Socialist Party (PS) decided to go on a single list, supporting what was proposed by its president, Paulina Vodanovic, and even proposed former President Michelle Bachelet as leader of this option. However, during the week the forces of the center-left (PPD and PR) have not moved in the direction of the idea of a single list and, moreover, they hope that the PS will decide under which label to go to resume talks. This Tuesday there was talk that the Socialists would be in the middle of an internal struggle represented in the president of the collectivity and the general secretary, Camilo Escalona.
The main difference that these leaders would present arises from the possibility that the single list will not materialize, the most likely scenario so far. On the side of Vodanovic, this would advocate to ascribe to a list with the parties of the former Concertación, while Escalona would maintain support for the Government and, consequently, present himself on the list of Apruebo Dignidad.
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Faced with this struggle, the Minister of Government, Camila Vallejo, in an interview with TVN, said that “what we have pointed out is nothing more and nothing less than respecting the autonomy and definitions of the parties and there we understand that there was a fairly clear, broad and democratic and legitimate definition of the PPD, which was to go on a different list from that of Apruebo Dignidad.”
“There is no double reading,” added Minister Vallejo. “What Camilo Escalona says, whom I also respect a lot and I share effectively, there is no intervention here, there is ratification of what was a deliberation of a party and that is why we take it for granted that it was consummated.”
The spokeswoman for La Moneda thus addressed the annoyance of Escalona, who earlier said that the two official lists would be a “fait accompli” and that the government’s words “weaken our position.” In addition, he said that he did not like that the ministers “intervene in matters exclusive to the parties.”
In case the ruling party does not converge on a single list, Vallejo ruled out that it is a “defeat.” Not at all, he said, “we have a government with two coalitions … with whom every day we are articulating, talking and working.”
“Beyond the decisions that the parties end up adopting, in the end what is important for us is the understanding in a common project,” he said.
Finally, on the definition of the PS in its political commission – which takes place from 20 hours – Vallejo said that “what they democratically deliberate in their day of definition, is part of the respect for the autonomy that the parties have. We have no choice as a government but to respect that.”
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