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‘There is a risk to the democratic future of Chile’
Hugo Guzman speaks to GUILLERMO TEILLIER, president of Chile’s Communist Party, in the aftermath of the right winning a majority on the Constitutional Commission following Sunday’s election
Republican party members celebrate obtaining the largest number of representatives after the election for the Constitutional Council, which will draft a new constitution proposal in Santiago, Chile, Sunday, May 7 2023. A first attempt to replace the current Charter bequeathed by the military 42 years ago was rejected by voters during a referendum in 2022.
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FACED with the scenario opened up by the recent elections, with the hegemony of the far right, Chile’s Communist Party leader Guillermo Teillier commented: “Our councillors will have to do everything on their side. It will be a tough battle. We will be very attentive to how the situation develops in order to make decisions in the course of the process.
“Our purpose is to contribute to the government in this difficult time and to contribute as much as possible to save the programme that the right wing intends to sink definitively.
“The Communist Party received 8 per cent of the vote after its militants and candidates put in a great effort. An important part of the electorate trusts our party.”
Are you satisfied with the election of two councillors, I ask.
“Certainly not. The senatorial election system worked against us. We must highlight the work done by our candidate in the Metropolitan Region, Karen Araya, and our colleague in Coquimbo, Fernando Viveros.
“We are the third most voted-for party in the country. This is remarkable in the face of a fierce anti-communist campaign, with a lot of corporate funding and a whole battery of communication.
“Our aim is to contribute to the government in these difficult times and to do our utmost to save the programme that the right wing is trying to sink for good.”
Asked if the triumph of the extreme right is an indication that something is wrong or that something is not being done well by the governing coalition, Teillier said an in-depth analysis will be made in the coming fortnight.
On the issue of the two million spoilt ballots, he commented that it “is a considerable figure that needs to be carefully observed — and if these so-called left-wing forces had voted with the left, the result would have been different.”
Does the result leave the government cornered? Some have even said that the government of Gabriel Boric is over.
“There is no doubt that the government is in a complicated situation, but it must continue to govern, in a joint effort with the parties.”
With the right’s majority of 33-17 in the Constitutional Council what will the 17 councillors of the ruling party be able to do?
“There is a risk for the democratic future of the country. Our councillors will have to do their best. It will be a tough battle. We will be very attentive to how the situation develops in order to make decisions in the course of the process.”
It has been suggested that it will be difficult to draft a new constitution, a “Pinochet 2.0.” Do you think that the option of rejection from popular, progressive and left-wing sectors is politically viable?
“I think it is necessary to weigh up what happens in the Constitutional Council. But I don’t rule out the possibility of a rejection option being politically reinstated. The two million invalid (rejection) votes out of the total of 15 million could be an indication that such a route might be possible.”
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