“It does not depend one hundred percent on us”, is the slogan that has been installed in recent weeks within the three main parties of Chile Vamos, regarding what type of opposition they will exercise once the future Government of the President is installed elected, Gabriel Boric. And although the transversal intention is to start with “the right foot”, that will depend on what the future administration is going to put on the table as soon as his mandate has begun. This, in the understanding that beyond the good intentions, there is an electorate to reconquer after the harsh presidential defeat of 12 points in the second round, and with a new consideration to take into account, such as the full appearance of the Party Republican, who broadened the spectrum of attention for the voter in his sector.
All of the above, in the midst of the process of reshaping the forces inside Chile Vamos, where the UDI hopes to establish itself as the most representative party in the sector of the so-called center-right –they are betting on moderation and differentiation from the toughest sector–, taking advantage the “stagnation” due to the internal troubles of his RN peers, at the time that Evópoli tries to shake off the consequences left by his support for José Antonio Kast.
It is very different if the first discussions take place on the basis of the tax reform, seeking to agree on some aspects where there would be greater rapprochement between the parties, than if it seeks to pressure or install the urgency due to the need to approve the amnesty project for the “ prisoners of the explosion”. This is how they exemplified from Chile Vamos the conditioning factor to definitely know how they are going to have to present themselves to their electorate to start their new role as opposition for the next four years.
In today’s official sector, the gesture of having been invited to an unprecedented meeting with the main authorities of the future government is appreciated, as well as the invitation to the appointment of future ministers – despite the fact that they understand that it is out of necessity – all online with the first definition of not being an opposition like the one with which “we had to live together in the last four years”, everyone repeats. But, at the same time, they add to be clear about the difficulties of being able to land that slogan in case the incoming Executive decides to install issues on which they do not have “two readings”, and for which they will be forced to having to “step hard”, because “who sets the tone for the opposition is the Government”, they assured.
For now, on the sidewalk across the street there are still several issues to be resolved, including that of the undersecretaries, whose appointment was again delayed and will be announced next Wednesday, as the future spokeswoman, Camila Vallejo, pointed out. At least, in general aspects and prioritization, the first definitions and tasks are expected after the appointment scheduled for today at the Casona Cañaveral and that will seat the President-elect with all his ministers.
And the definition of undersecretaries is one that they follow very closely from Chile Vamos, because one of the two flanks to resolve is that of the parliamentary relationship with the Government and its priorities. The appointment of the right-hand man of the future President, Giorgio Jackson, as minister of the Segpres, sowed more doubts than certainties in the right, considering that the experience of the last four years of working with him “has not been satisfactory.”
Both in the UDI and in RN and Evópoli, they assured that that designation took them by surprise, since their characteristics and profile –they indicated– would not be the ideal ones to start the new cycle. Although they recognize the leader of the Democratic Revolution’s talent, they assured that “he has not crossed the corridor”, that is, that the networks and bridges he built would have had more to do with his own than with the opposition, “unlike Gabriel Boric ”, they added. Qualifiers such as “arrogant or arrogant” abounded and it is a cross-sectional consensus in the parliamentary right that “does not generate trust.” That, however, does not mean that they will not give him the opportunity, but – they added – “we expected another name”.
That is why they are attentive to who is going to be their undersecretary in Segpres – a portfolio in charge of building bridges with the opposition to carry out the government plan – and several indicated that they expected it to be the PS Manuel Monsalve, “of transversal networks” and great knowledge of Parliament, they pointed out. However, his name would be tied to the Undersecretary of the Interior. From Jackson, they recalled the episode of agreement for the 12 billion pesos in the midst of the pandemic, where the RD was finally subtracted from the joint table with the Government, blaming him for changes of opinion that, “more than building bridges, they cut them” with your industry.
In the current ruling party, they pointed out that for now there is no agreed map of where they are going to put the red lights and the green lights with respect to the government plan of the President-elect, decisions that will be able to find a structure once the priorities imposed by the government are known. the incoming Executive, they stressed.
Reprofiling and the flank that opens the Republican Party
The other flank that Chile Vamos has to take care of and that is strictly linked to its way of exercising the opposition, is how they are going to differentiate themselves –and at the same time withstand the pressure that they expect it to impose on a daily basis– from the Republican Party, with the that they have already ruled out a pact. The fact that they constantly bring them up to the blackboard accusing them of being lukewarm, fearful or traitors, is a recent experience, but one that they took note of. They pointed out that they are aware that “it will not be easy to reach agreements with the ruling party with them breathing down our necks,” said a parliamentarian from the sector.
The main reason lies in the need to reconnect with an electorate whose fan was opened with the arrival of the party previously led by José Antonio Kast, and which made use of the most orthodox manual in the sector, snatching it from the UDI, together with with a large RN space.
In this sense, it is understood that each of the three parties is – not all of them formally – in a process of reflection and redefinition to prevent further flight of their electorate, raising the identification flags of each of the stores. Complex task, as they recognized transversally.
In the case of the UDI -which had its 48 hours of reflection in Codegua last week-, among other definitions, they took that of distancing themselves from a position that did not bring them profits in the October 25 plebiscite for a new Constitution, as It was the flag of Rejection, of which the Republican Party was already made early with a view to the exit plebiscite.
That would be one of the first and clearest signs – they recognized internally – of the attempt to present themselves today as a more moderate party within the pact, a space that they would seek to take away from Renovación Nacional. This, after the logic of the so-called social right, led by Mario Desbordes, lost ground in his party, which is why today they would find themselves “in a nebula” that does not present clear definitions, they added. Having been in favor of same-sex marriage is another sign that must be addressed, they recalled.
Inside the store led by Javier Macaya, they said they were sure of running with an advantage, because to the signs of moderation -they indicated-, a directive younger than those of their peers would be added: “Sign of the new times”, they expressed.
In the case of RN, the board has insisted on delivering signals through its president, Senator Francisco Chahuán, actions that their conglomerate peers attribute to the attempt to order a complex internal and that they can hardly take care of in In the short term, they said they believed both in the UDI and in Evópoli.
And although the current bosses have won all their latest bets, under the wing of the former controller, Carlos Larraín – like getting Mario Desbordes out of the way in the internal election and, later, having managed to install Sebastián Sichel, antagonist of the former Minister of Defense –, the attempt to position itself as an influential party has had its potholes in the rush to achieve the objectives, a diagnosis recognized by those close to the board, but also by their coalition colleagues.
To the cabinet in the shadows, the idea of the senator for the Fifth Region from which everyone took the floor, and on which he insists, added to the announcement in agreement with the People’s Party or with the DC, initiatives that suffered the same fate , is added the recent attempt to present an institutional position in the face of the conflict in La Araucanía, which took shape as an internal transversal agreement, but which was not, since it never had the permission of the political committee.
For now, the board is trying to change the face of the party, renovating the headquarters, “opening up space”, physically and symbolically -they pointed out-, backing this initiative with a national consultation whose results are expected. In any case, in a party where the political committee is a fundamental part of the decision-making structure, the current leaders do not have it easy, since, of the fifteen members, the opposition to the current leadership would add up to at least ten.
The so-called social right, which has lost a lot of ground and is in one of its minimal expressions, is also trying to reshape itself, looking for a way to get back on its feet again. As a first step, they would be looking for another word, since “social right” would be very groped -they recognized- and of which anyone “today becomes the owner”. Added to this first step is the idea of being able to have a plan and a global perspective to present in order to re-permeate not only internally but also the sector, they indicated.
In the case of Evópoli, it would have already been decided not to bring forward the internal elections scheduled for mid-year. Although at one point that possibility was put on the table, sources within the party detailed that this option would have been discarded after the intervention of the former presidential candidate, Ignacio Briones, who distanced himself from the candidacy of José Antonio Kast, this after have supported the actions of the party internally. His decision to go out and make a difference would have fallen “very badly” in a large sector of the community, which would not give rise to this type of profiling, they sentenced.
For now, they stated that they felt “free”, with room to redefine their space, this after having “paid the costs of defending the Government”, while they continue to seek to get rid of the splinters left behind by supporting the candidate of the extreme right, JA Kast.
The internal reflection indicated that having had to defend the Minister of Transportation, Gloria Hutt, with the increase of 30 pesos in the charge for the subway ticket -the last trigger of the social outbreak-, Gonzalo Blumel, as Minister of the Interior in full blown, and Ignacio Briones, against the withdrawals of funds from the AFP, “it was a lot of burden.”
