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The president of the Christian Democracy, Fuad chahinHe recalls that three days before the signing of the agreement for a new Constitution, there was an arduous debate in the party’s national board on whether or not to promote the “Constituent Assembly. Finally, the community decided to follow this mechanism, a decision that allowed, on November 12, the entire center-left, from the DC to the FA, to issue a joint statement and establish a common position that was key to negotiating the plebiscite.
Thus, one year from that moment and one day after the overwhelming triumph of the Approval, the Christian Democrat assures that the result exceeded his expectations and that, although he says that “no one owns the triumph,” he considers that the role they played should be recognized. the political parties for the realization of the referendum. “Yesterday’s result is a great responsibility to close the gap of distrust with politics,” he says.
Was the comfortable victory of the Approval within his forecast?
Exceeded all expectations. Participation within a pandemic context and, second, the outcome. And that is explained in large part because there was a massive participation of young people. This is also very exciting and motivating, because it shows that young people are mobilized for great causes and great ideals. Yesterday’s result is a great responsibility to close the gap of distrust with politics.
Do the parties own this triumph, considering that they enabled the process?
We are not owners, no one has paternity with respect to the triumph. Undoubtedly, the context for the agreement to be generated was given by the mobilizations, but the parties were able to materialize this in an agreement that allowed the plebiscite. And that also has a value that must be recognized, because it was not easy either. Some of those who celebrated yesterday accused us of “traitors of the people.” Today time has proved us right.
What are the key things that should be reflected in a new Constitution?
Politically, we must move towards a decentralized Democratic State and, therefore, give much more power to the territories, particularly to local governments. We have to guarantee the principle of citizen participation, end hyper-presidentialism, discuss the issue of natural resources, the issue of water. Update our catalog of constitutional guarantees, the recognition of native peoples. What will be the role of the State in the economy.
Yesterday the opposition celebrated the victory divided. What challenges are there for the sector and for the DC?
We have a tremendous responsibility, which is that in the constitutional process, on the one hand, we achieve a balance between the need to be able to open spaces to the independent and different sectors of society, and, on the other hand, not to disperse so much. If we disperse into three or four lists, we will end up subsidizing Chile Vamos and, therefore, we have to find that balance. That is the great challenge.
The issue of the lists has already been noticed in the opposition. Is the DC for a unit list?
The formula that allows this balance is that we have two complementary lists. Some will say a list, but that is unreal. It is not possible, because there are very few spaces, so if you want to build an agreement you have to do that on a real basis. Why is it unreal? Because in Chile, among the districts that have 3, 4 or 5 seats, that is, that can carry between 4 and 6 candidates, there are only 16 districts, so it is impossible for all of us to enter. The districts that elect more than five conventionalists are very few and, therefore, it is impossible and unrealistic that the entire opposition is on a single list for the convention and I prefer to avoid setting the single list as a goal, which we cannot do. comply and that once again it is installed that it is a failure of the opposition. We must try to think of building two complementary lists that allow us to find the balance between unity and adequate diversity.
Is it a technical issue or a diversity of projects?
They are both. We have to, on the one hand, guarantee the expression of the diversity and consistency of the projects and, on the other hand, because we do not all fit into a single list. If we really want to make space for the independent world, then we better try to work with something realistic: two complementary lists, but one that complements each other for the convention.
Do you prefer a list from the Constituent Unit and another from the FA and the PC?
All these are conversations that we will have to give in due course and that I want to give them within the Constituent Unit first and then with the rest of the parties. But undoubtedly that the first space is the Constituent Unit.
Is it compatible to search the unit, but there is no unique list?
Of course. Unity in diversity.
“Jadue and the PC make it more complex every day to hold an opposition primary”
Fuad chahin, president of the DC
The Constituent Unit, in fact, had a great staging for the plebiscite. Were they consolidated?
It is a process, but doing the activity together, having primaries in the 16 regions, this begins to consolidate as a space. There is a super good spirit within the Constituent Unit, but this is not a limit, it is a base to build and we are open to dialogue with other sectors.
Yesterday there were gestures between Beatriz Sánchez and Daniel Jadue for a common primary. Does the DC fit there?
This is not the time to be discussing the presidential primaries, we must answer about the governors, seek agreements for the constituent, it is a tremendous mistake. What seems curious to me that those who most seek an alternative to primaries are those who refused to have opposition primaries for regional governors.
Are you saying it for the PC and Jadue?
They didn’t want those primaries and they wanted shields.
Some DC’s like Carolina Goic have said that even late in the race, they wouldn’t vote for Jadue either. Do you share that?
I have no doubt that we are going to have a candidate who is going to participate in a primary within a predefined framework. But we are going to support whoever wins it, because you cannot participate in a primary if you are not available to respect the result and for the same you must be clear about the limits with whom to do primary and with whom not. That is the conversation we have to do forward.
What if that primary is won by Jadue?
What I mean is that Jadue and the PC make it more complex every day to hold an opposition primary, with their statements, with the disqualification, because they are more focused on themselves.
