Fa turnaround deepens opposition breakdown and generates cross-criticism

“Today there is nothing left but to compete.” This is how an opposition leader portrayed yesterday the situation in which the sector remained, after the formation of two “poles” was finally consolidated in the face of the political and electoral challenges that will mark 2021.

The rift between the bloc made up of the Broad Front (FA), the Communist Party and the FRVS, and the collectives grouped in the Constituent Unit (DC, PR, PPD, PS, PRO and Ciudadanos) has finished deepening, they say in the center-left, after the Democratic Revolution weekend defined – in a plebiscite in which about 2% of its membership participated – that they would give priority to alliances with Chile Digno.

The milestone reopened a series of recriminations between both sectors and once again cracked the fragile confidence in the opposition, which had already deteriorated after a series of failed attempts to achieve unity in the face of the municipal and regional governors’ elections.

The FA justified its turnaround over the weekend in a statement in which it pointed to an alleged responsibility of the PS in the failed opposition unit for the election of conventional constituents, an objective that the entire center-left has recognized as “crucial” to achieve the 2 / 3 of the body that will draft a new Magna Carta. Likewise, from the bloc they also threw their darts at the Christian Democrats and the rest of the Constituent Unit, whom they accused of not having a “real will” to achieve unity.

From the Frente Amplio bloc, according to sources in the sector, they would have asked the PS to agree with them and “isolate” more moderate sectors such as the DC and the PR, to which the Socialists would have refused. However, from the FA they maintain that the socialist table “promised” that they would direct their efforts towards them and not to consolidate their bloc with the Christian Democrats.

“We bet on the construction of an axis of transformations, where we imagine a PS capable of leading the center-left towards the changes that the citizenship demands. Unfortunately, today Fuad Chahin’s thesis wins. The invitation from the FA remains open to the construction of a broad unity around the change that citizens demand ”, said the president of the DR, Catalina Pérez.

Along the same lines, the Commons helmsman, Jorge Ramírez, pointed out that “the FA made a clear, concrete and responsible invitation to the PS and Progressive Convergence sectors to build a new field together with Chile Digno (…). Unfortunately, the PS has decided to return to the logic of the Concertación ”.

Meanwhile, the socialist helmsman, Álvaro Elizalde pointed out that “while we are concerned about confronting the Rejection sectors, what remains of the FA is dedicated to systematically hitting the other sectors of the opposition. We reiterate our call to unity and act responsibly ”.

And he added: “The DR’s internal consultation did not consider the most important alternative, the unity of the entire opposition.”

From the PC, meanwhile, they also joined in the recriminations. The president of that community, Guillermo Teillier, blamed the former Concertación parties – in an interview on Radio Nuevo Mundo – for the differences in the sector, along the same lines as their future FA partners. “I am convinced every day that sectors of the former Concertación were at stake to reshape the Concertación and leave out parties, including ours and others from the Broad Front,” he said.

In the center-left they admit that the reconfiguration of forces within the sector leaves the extremes represented by the DC and the PC in a more “comfortable” position.

From the Christian Democrats, in fact, yesterday they de-dramatized the opposition break. “You don’t have to look for responsibilities. Obviously there are two oppositions with different characteristics and natures. One around the CP (…) And another that is represented by the Constituent Unit, which, in my opinion, is the majority, ”said DC helmsman Fuad Chahin.

One of the main readings that was made yesterday, is that the possibility that there are unitary lists for the election of constituents loses more and more force.

Although some had de-dramatized the fact of going on two complementary lists, in the sector there are those who warn that with the current climate there would not even be space to re-launch those efforts less than a month after the registration of the candidacies.

However, other leaders of the center-left do see an understanding of content viable that allows a strategy of this nature, despite the fact that they are divided on the electoral front. “The fact that there are two lists does not prevent us from talking about substantive matters that will be dealt with in the constituent convention and there we have to agree and we are ready,” said Teillier.

In this sense, some communities believe that they still have time to resume the talks, although they recognize that there is a narrow margin for the sector to be successful in these negotiations.