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A strong concern has been installed inside La Moneda in the prelude to the vote -to be held this Tuesday- of the constitutional accusation against the Minister of the Interior, Victor Perez, whose scenery, they say Palacio, is becoming more complex. According to the calculations in the ruling party, in fact, it is highly probable that it will pass to the Senate, an instance in which its fate is also uncertain.
Despite this, the Minister of the Segpres, Christian Monckeberg; the undersecretary Juan Jose Ossa and his pair of Interior, Juan Francisco GalliAmong other government officials, they have increased contacts and carried out frenzied talks with opposition parliamentarians, mainly with the DC, PR and some of the PPD. This, with the aim of trying to convince them not to support the libel.
However, all the voices in La Moneda recognize that the situation is difficult and that, therefore, as published The Third PM last week, they are already in the scenario that Minister Pérez, if approved in the Chamber, is suspended from his functions while the process lasts and that, in that scenario, he will most likely be subrogated by Undersecretary Galli. This, despite the fact that the President Sebastian Piñera he may appoint another minister in his place. However, that would be a sign, they acknowledge in Palacio, that they consider the libel lost and speculation would be generated about who would be Pérez’s successor in office.
Anyway, in the Executive they know that if the accusation is approved in its entirety, a political crisis within the government would open, which will end again with cross recriminations, especially due to the episodes within the coalition that have preceded the vote of the offensive and that keeps the Palace in tension. First, the arguments put forward by Pérez’s defense, who pointed out that, in a state of catastrophe, the control of the Carabineros does not depend on the Interior, but rather on the Ministry of Defense, which heads Mario Overflows. This generated discomfort in RN, from where they threatened to vote in favor of the libel. And although that was managed to contain, a certain nuisance arose again after the death of a policeman in the La Araucanía Region, which also caused some legislators to point to the Minister of the Interior, for example, the deputy Miguel Mellado.
“In Araucanía there is no rule of law. And this government, this minister and the previous one, Blumel, knew the poor working conditions of the Carabineros to protect us. And they did nothing. I’m tired of preaching in the desert and having them look to the side. The only way the government sees us in La Araucanía is with the pressure of the vote, ”Mellado told The Third PM. And he added: “What I will at least do is leave the room.”
To this was added, during the weekend, the complaint of the parliamentarians of Evópoli de La Araucanía –Felipe Armario, Andres Molina Y Sebastian Alvarez-, who froze relations with the government after the assassination of Carabinero Eugenio Nain in the area. The issue generated annoyance in the UDI and RN, but it also escalated to La Moneda, from where they transmitted that they could not understand how right in the middle of a constitutional accusation they did this, arguing that -beyond that those official votes were not at risk, as they quickly clarified it – confusing signals were being delivered to the center-left, where they have to go to get the votes.
The malaise, some say in the Palace, reached President Piñera himself and, in addition, generated friction and a conflict within Evópoli, where the head of the bank, Luciano Cruz-Coke, and the deputy Francisco Undurraga, among others, made them see the error.
In fact, the minister of the Segegob, Jaime Bellolio, who has communicated with that party to address the issue, today revealed that discomfort. In an interview with Radio Agricultura, he said: “It seems to me that it is at an inopportune moment, where I believe that the political consequences of what it means were not measured.”
In the midst of this scenario, La Moneda has taken steps to try to show signs of unity, at least within the coalition, and ensure that the votes are aligned there. Under that assumption, they require only six votes from the opposition to prevent the libel from prospering. For this reason, Monckeberg and Bellolio coordinated with the heads of the bank of Chile Vamos a letter of support to Pérez, which was disseminated during the weekend. And, in addition, they coordinated that today the heads of the bank attend the traditional meeting with the Segpres in person, with a view to giving signals of unity and support to Pérez.
At the same time, Evópoli leaders met with the chief of staff to deliver a signal of support to avoid “confusion.”
In this context, the President was consulted today during an activity about the possibility of appointing a new Minister of the Interior if the accusation is approved. In addition, he was consulted about the controversy with Evópoli and the request to appoint a minister in charge of La Araucanía.
Regarding the first, Piñera stated: “The Minister of the Interior, Víctor Pérez, has fulfilled his duties, has respected the Constitution and the law, and has not incurred any grounds for constitutional accusation. For this reason, I want to ask all deputies and senators not to accuse an innocent person without any legal basis, only for political reasons, to act conscientiously and to think that this string of accusations not only harms the government, they cause a tremendous damage to politics ”. And I add: “I trust that a person who is innocent is not accused.”
The issue was discussed today in the political committee between Piñera and his ministers, an instance in which the scenario was analyzed and the Head of State ordered the secretaries of state to accompany Pérez during the vote in the Chamber.
After the controversy with the arguments put forward by Pérez’s lawyers –Alejandro Espinoza Y Mario rojas-, who until last night defended the Minister of the Interior, it was decided to make a change in strategy and modify the defense.
Thus, in place of Espinoza and Rojas last night the lawyer assumed Gabriel Zaliasnik, who successfully defended the former Minister of Health Jaime Mañalich in the constitutional accusation against him.
In the Executive they affirm that Pérez himself was seeking support and his name was recommended by the Presidency and the Segpres, portfolios that had already worked with Zaliasnik to defend Mañalich. In La Moneda they argue that the decision to change the defense to a day and a half from the vote is designed to reverse the scenario in the Senate, since they believe that tomorrow it is unlikely to be rejected.
In parallel, the Executive maintains that it is not yet settled whether or not the previous question will be appealed, which is an issue that they have to resolve during this day, but they add that it is very likely that, as happened with Mañalich, he will leave straight to the bottom. This, in any case, they say will depend on how many votes are doubtful or firm.
In the center-left they assure that the DC, whose bench has been gravitating in the outcome of several constitutional accusations, is playing something different this time.
After the broad triumph of the Approval and the constitutional convention in the plebiscite of October 25, but above all after the end of the isolation of the community that led to the formation of the Constituent Unit, a bloc that was created after the failed negotiation of the sector by a unitary pact of primaries and which also include the PS, the PPD, the PR, the PRO and Ciudadanos, the gestures of unity that the bench gives to the rest of the opposition will be key.
Some in DC are aware that in the current context it cannot be they who, as happened in the lawsuits against ministers such as Marcela Cubillos or more recently Jaime Mañalich, are the dividing factor that now “saves” the chief of staff. . Likewise, they warn that it would be unintelligible that they are the ones who make fail an action that they themselves promoted after the truckers’ strike and that was reactivated after the case of the young man who fell into the Mapocho River – according to the prosecution – after being “driven” by a uniformed on the Pío Nono bridge.
It is in this scenario that both the deputy Gabriel Ascencio and the leadership of the community led by Fuad Chahin have had conversations with different members of the bench to avoid significant unchecking. “I have always respected the power of the deputies in matters of constitutional accusations. But as president of the party it seems necessary to express my desire that the bench act as united as possible, “said the Falangist leader last week. While today he maintained that “the problem we have had is when the bench votes in three different positions, one part approves, others reject, others abstain. So, all I have asked of them is that they try to act with greater unity ”.
In the party they affirm that, although the fact that the DC votes aligned with the center-left tomorrow can be read as a political signal, the unity of the sector must be built on bases that go beyond a vote of this nature. “The unity of the opposition cannot be based on a constitutional accusation, but must be based on common ideas,” says the head of the bench, Daniel Verdessi. For the deputy, the difference of this libel with others is that it was built with all sectors and, in his opinion, would have legal support.
Until now, the committee would be mostly inclined to approve the libel against the chief of staff. Although they had raised initial doubts, deputies Miguel Ángel Calisto and Manuel Antonio Matta – they say on the bench – would vote in favor of the fund tomorrow in the room. “In particular, I have rejected practically all the accusations, but unfortunately in this case of Mr. Víctor Perez, there are legal antecedents that support one of the points of the accusation, in relation to the stoppage of truck drivers, which in some way inclines me today to support this accusation. Regrettably. However, I will wait for the allegations in court, ”Calisto said over the weekend.
The same would happen with the independents who now make up that committee. Carlos Abel Jarpa assured that “as things are going, it is most likely that he will vote in favor”, while Fernando Meza has already expressed his position by approving to recommend the ratification of the libel in the commission that reviewed its admissibility. Pepe Auth, although he did not want to advance his position, according to sources from the bench, he would be about to dismiss the chief of staff.
The only one who is going to uncheck so far is the deputy Jorge Sabag. “Minister Pérez cannot come between a policeman and a boy who falls from the bridge. It is an unfortunate event that today is in the hands of justice, which will give its verdict, as appropriate in the rule of law. The police officer has already been discharged, now we have to wait ”, said the legislator.
In the center-left they insist that so far they would have at least 80 votes counted in favor of the libel, although they warn that the result could be narrower. This, because from the Executive they have intensified the efforts to “give back” to some parliamentarians in the sector.
“The defense of the minister was very deficient and it is clear that the opposition must support this constitutional accusation in the most united way possible. I hope the DC is not a factor of division again, since they were the first to promote it and it would be contradictory if they do not support it, ”said the head of the PPD bench, Raúl Soto. While his peer from the PS, Luis Rocafull pointed out that “regardless of our differences today there is a significant majority in favor of this constitutional accusation” and stressed that “the union of the opposition requires many dimensions.”
In the PR, for their part, they would only have one loss, that of the independent Pedro Velázquez. While the also independent Karim Bianchi and Pablo Lorenzini did not want to advance their position.
