Deputy Hotuiti Rangi Teao Drago He could face consequences for his behavior during the vote on the 40 Hours law in the Chamber of Deputies. In a controversial live broadcast on TikTok, the parliamentarian described the ministers present as a “sleeve of communists” and called the Executive’s initiative “populist”.
During the broadcast, Teao questioned the lack of support for issues such as citizen security and the protection of the Carabineros, while criticizing the 40-hour initiative. Despite his comments, surprisingly, the deputy voted in favor of the law.
Given the expressions of the deputy, the deputy Juan Santana announced that he will take the case to the Ethics Commission. “We will not let this self-confidence to issue hate speech -which borders on anti-democratic- go unpunished. We will take deputy Teao to the Ethics Commission so that he can be penalized for his derogatory treatment of the Ministers”Santana declared on his Twitter account.
In the same vein, the ministers present during the vote on the 40 Hours law expressed their rejection of the deputy’s comments. Deputy Camila Vallejo stated that “Deputy Teao showed a lack of respect and decorum in his behavior during the session,” while Minister Antonia Orellana described it as “unacceptable.”
Deputy Teao’s behavior not only generated criticism, but also opened the debate on respect and tolerance in Chilean politics. Is this type of behavior a sign of freedom of expression or a lack of respect for institutions and democracy? The Ethics Commission will have to decide if the statements of Deputy Teao deserve a sanction and if his behavior during the session was appropriate.
