Chilean President Gabriel Boric together with former President Sebastián Piñera during a meeting last week at La Moneda Palace in Santiago. Presidency of Chile (EFE)
President Gabriel Boric’s call for all political forces in Chile to commit to a commitment to democracy and condemnation of human rights violations on September 11, after 50 years have passed since the coup, was rejected this year. Monday from the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI) and Republican parties. The most moderate formations in the sector are keeping the window open and are expected to announce this Wednesday whether they will sign the document that the left-wing executive has extended to former presidents and presidents of other countries, although the outlook appears complex.
The draft agreement to which La Tercera had access consists of four points: care and defense of democracy, respect for the constitution, laws and the rule of law in the face of authoritarian threats and intolerance; meet the challenges of democracy with more democracy; defend the value and full promotion of human rights; and strengthen cooperation between states through mature multilateralism that respects differences. As part of the commemoration, the possible closure of the Punta Peuco facility, a special prison for soldiers convicted of human rights violations during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), opened back in 1995 as part of the transition to democracy.
Chile arrives at the commemoration of the coup that toppled the government of socialist Salvador Allende in an “electrifying” atmosphere, said Boric, and “toxic” for former President Michelle Bachelet, the socialist said on Monday. Both leaders have expressed concern about the backlash they feel in condemning the collapse of democracy. “In commemorating the 40 years, there was agreement that democracy is fundamental, that we must care for it and strengthen it, and that nothing justifies human rights violations. Today I think this commitment is no longer as strong. “At 50 years old, it should be something that unites us around these super simple concepts instead of using it as a political weapon,” Bachelet said this morning after meeting Boric at La Moneda Palace.
The president of the UDI, Senator Javier Macaya, declined this Monday the invitation to sign the commitment. “We are not prepared to participate in milestones that lead to even more division and, in a way, put ourselves at the service of events that do not have a unified view,” he told Agriculture Radio. In Unionism it is explained that “it is not about the values that are included in the document, but about the compliance with many subsidiary issues.” “Perhaps in the same ceremony the government will announce the closure of the Punta Peuco prison. It has to do with mistrust,” adds the UDI. This political force blames the Boric government for the “backsliding” of civilization, citing as an example that last week a socialist senator accused them of being “deniers of human rights violations.” Going to sign the pledge, they explain, is “like going to the house of a person who constantly insults you.” They also indicate that they do not want to take part in a tribute to Allende and that the coalition is considering whether to honor the date with a draft resolution in Congress.
In this sense, the Secretary General of the UDI, María José Hoffmann, assured CNN this afternoon that her party excludes the signing of the joint document proposed by the government. He said they will sign a separate document that will reaffirm previous commitments to democracy, human rights and condemnation of violence. “Without Allende there is no Pinochet,” said Hoffmann.
For his part, the President of the Republican Party, Arturo Squella, told Emol that “the government has created a navigation map that follows the logic of division.” “Every statement made by the President of the Republic is linked to an orchestrated division and we are not part of it of it,” he added.
One of the criticisms the opposition has leveled at the executive is that it has sought to impose a “single truth” with a “biased view” of events 50 years ago. The Chilean president assured in an interview on Channel 13 on Sunday that this was never his government’s intention. “About the past, as Senator Isabel Allende said, no one can pretend to enforce a single truth. “That would be a lack of respect and a lack of intelligence, but what we can do is commit to the future, protect democracy from the risks it poses – and there are many of them – and fully respect human rights respect.”
The invitation to sign the agreement includes former heads of state and government and presidents who will take part in the commemoration event next Monday – Argentine President Alberto Fernández has confirmed his participation; Colombia, Gustavo Petro; Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador; Uruguay, Luis Lacalle Pou; and the Prime Minister of Portugal, António Costa-. Bachelet has already confirmed her signature and former President Sebastián Piñera of the center-right National Renewal (RN) party appeared open to supporting the document after meeting Boric last week in La Moneda.
Renovación Nacional has not yet announced its official position. “Under the current conditions, the party will not sign the document,” RN deputy and general secretary Diego Schalper told EL PAÍS. “More than the content of the document, what is important to us is the tone that is set this week; Second, whatever act he wants to do that we don’t yet know about, he offers guarantees that it will be something truly reconciliatory and non-confrontational. For example, it is not available to us to go there and be insulted by some participants. And thirdly, that these are not just conceptual points, but real commitments for the future,” adds the MP.
The departure of the commemoration adviser, the writer Patricio Fernández, in early July, after ruling party parliamentarians, several from the Communist Party and human rights groups accused him of relativizing the coup, was a turning point for the leaders. on the right, highlighting the spirit that he wanted to convey to this day.
In addition to the closure of Punta Peuco, the Boric government is looking for alternatives to remove the secrecy of the testimonies presented in the Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture, known as the Valech report, in the Lagos government (2000-2006). It is a measure that has been met with resistance from parts of the center-left, which defends that the 50-year secret is an obligation to the victims.