Failure in the center-left vs. the agreement that lowered the official tension

The first electoral challenge ended in failure. Divided, the opposition actors ended yesterday. After intense and unsuccessful negotiations, the sector failed in its effort to reach a primary agreement for the regional governor elections and ended up registering with the Electoral Service (Servel) in two different pacts for said elections.

The negotiations were frustrated when after 4:20 p.m. the presidents of the Wide Front yesterday they left the headquarters of the Socialist Party to go to the Servel. On the second floor of the Paris 873 building, its electoral managers were still meeting with the rest of the opposition to achieve something that at that point was almost impossible: to unlock the negotiations in a matter of minutes to reach an agreement. Despite the fact that the leaders of the conglomerate assured that they went to the body prepared both for the scenario of a unitary pact being arrived at and for the option that they had to register alone, that gesture ended up burying the total unity of the center-left before those elections.

The event outraged his peers in the former New Majority. The atmosphere was tense. The helmsmen of the Progressive Convergence -Álvaro Elizalde (PS), Heraldo Muñoz (PPD) and Carlos Maldonado (PR) – They asked the representatives of the Broad Front for explanations in the absence of their leaders and accused them of promoting a real “ploy” behind their backs. By now, however, all the negotiators considered the possibility of reaching an agreement for dead. It was at that moment, half an hour before the deadline expired, that those three parties decided to end the negotiations.

In the sector they never believed in the FA’s genuine interest in reaching an agreement. In fact, for several leaders, their actions during the negotiation aimed to delay the option of a pact, in line with what they publicly stated in a statement on Sunday, where they closed on promoting that mechanism and pointed to omissions. For the former New Majority, the one who later retracted asking for a series of “minimums” -programmatic principles; all those incumbent on the competition, and no candidate linked to corruption – it was only a way of appeasing the costs that such determination entailed for the block. “They were just excuses,” they affirmed yesterday from the rest of the opposition, highlighting that those conditions were granted.

Thus, at the exit of the socialist headquarters, The leaders of the Progressive Convergence together with the general secretary of the DC, David Morales, came out one by one to hold both the Frente Amplio and the Unit for Change -PC, PRO and FRVS- responsible for the failed effort of the sector. They pointed to the factor that had blocked the negotiations throughout the day: the “shielding” from the I to the VI Region, which they had requested from the bloc led by the CP. A similar request – from the same coordination – for the IV and VI Regions had already frustrated the negotiations on Tuesday night.

That version, however, it was denied by the FA. From the block – who also maintained that they had gone to the Servel because they had a “requested time” at 4.30 pm- they assured that they never endorsed those “shields”.

But none of that was clear when, after 11:00 in the morning, the FA and the Unit for Change They did not arrive at the agreed time to meet with the rest of their opposition peers at the Socialist headquarters. Without notifying their counterpart, both conglomerates met, in parallel, at the RD headquarters. In that quote, those who knew of its content say, The PC made its scheme explicit, in which they proposed a design of four regions where everyone would compete, another six for the FA and the Unit for Change and another six for the Progressive Convergence and the DC.

With this design, both conglomerates arrived at the headquarters of the PS after 1:30 p.m. In the appointment, they say in the oppositionThe PC detailed its proposal, while the Broad Front reiterated that they were willing to reach an agreement as long as all the forces were included. The position of the bloc was interpreted as an endorsement of the design of the communists by the former New Majority, from where, in any case, they immediately closed the door to the armor in any region. That was where the negotiations got stuck with no return.

In the FA, in any case, they assure that the negotiation was a true “Mask game” and that from the beginning Progressive Convergence and the DC they had arrangements in different regions. In fact, they affirm that from the party led by Fuad chahin they were open to concede part of what was raised by the Unit for Change, but it was the PS, the PPD and the PR who hardened their positions.

The day ended with the Frente Amplio registering primaries for the municipal and governor elections after five in the afternoon. While the Progressive Convergence together with the DC, the PRO and Ciudadanos did the same with respect to these last elections. Meanwhile, the PC and the FRVS, finally did not end up joining the pact that entered the Servel almost at 9:00 p.m.

At 3.30 pm the presidents and other leaders of the parties of Chile Come on al Servel, with the aim of registering the electoral pact for the municipal and governor’s primaries on November 29.

The deployment took place after intense negotiations that were marked by cross statements between the communities and even the threat of the end of the coalition if primaries were not held to define the candidates in certain communes.

Thus, the negotiations were trapped for several days, mainly by the communes of Vitacura, Lo Barnechea and Colina, among others, because either the UDI or RN said that they were areas in which the candidates corresponded to them. To this, in addition, was added the pressure of Evópoli, which is committed to growing as a party and, therefore, demanded that the possibility be opened with the holding of previous elections.

In this stage, Vitacura It was one of the points that most conflicted the bloc, a place where RN resisted holding a primary. In that commune, to which Raúl Torrealba will not be reelected, RN had two possible cards: Maximiliano del Real and Carlos Cruz-Coke. In the UDI, meanwhile, your bet is Pablo Zalaquett, Meanwhile in Europe is the ex-minister Camila Merino. In addition, the Republican Party, led by José Antonio Kast, pushes the councilor Cristián Araya.

In the midst of the dilemma, proposals began to emerge as a pressure mechanism, and in RN they stated that if they agreed to hold primaries in Vitacura, the UDI should do the same in Las Condes and Providencia, both communes where there is uncertainty about what will happen if Joaquín Lavín and Evelyn Matthei, respectively, they decide to be presidential candidates. In fact, from the UDI they transmitted that both were available to hold primaries, however, the conversations continued and RN wanted the UDI to give in. Lo Barnechea, commune that currently has as mayor the letter of the union for re-election, Cristóbal Lira. Another of the most tense conflicts was unleashed between the UDI and Evópoli in the case of Paine.

In parallel, La Moneda monitored the progress of the negotiations and, according to some versions, President Sebastián Piñera himself expressed his opinion regarding certain cases, although the party leaders deny it.

However, at the meeting held yesterday the leaders managed to unblock part of the conflict and defined primaries in Vitacura, Lo Barnechea and about 30 communes nationwide, as well as in the case of governors. Thus, they circumvented the first obstacle and went to the Servel to inscribe the pact: a list of mayors, four lists of councilors and four for cores.

“First, to value the republican spirit of the four parties of Chile. Let’s go that finally took the path that democracy is the method by which the candidates for mayors and governors will be elected”, said the senator of Evópoli Felipe Armario, who was part of the talks. And he added: “No one here is a winner, only the people win, democracy.”

The president of RN, Rafael prohens, meanwhile, stated that “RN is very happy with the agreements we have had and we hope that today’s unit will be completed in the future”, adding that “to give in is not to lose, but to make oneself available to Chile Vamos.” Your peer from the UDI, Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, held that “It was a very good negotiation for Chile. We, above all, RN and the UDI acted with great generosity. We understand that the unity of the sector must be prioritized ”.

Despite the declarations of unity, the nervousness and tension in the bloc remained private, around midnight. This because Although they had already registered the pact with the Servel, they had not yet officially registered the candidacies of the primaries before the body.

In fact, The parties, after their visit to the Servel, met again at the UDI headquarters to review case by case and see pending issues, encounter that continued into the early morning. Even several of those present transmitted that while this procedure is not done, “You can’t sing victory”, while another leader said that the atmosphere remained tense and that there were still risks in some communes where they could not reach an agreement.

In the coalition, moreover, Some knots were maintained regarding what will happen in the case of Providencia and Las Condes. Although it was agreed not to hold primaries in those communes, In sectors of Chile Vamos they say that a protocol was agreed to resolve it at a certain time. However, until last night there was no consensus on that. “In the event that any of them (Lavín or Matthei) left the municipality, the agreement is that all parties participate proposing the best people and that there be an unconventional primary or a system that really allows choosing the best ”, said the president of Evópoli, Andres Molina, a Third. However, Van Rysselberghe noted that “It is an issue that we have to discuss; they are two hypothetical situations, therefore, it is an issue that is not on the table today ”.