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Airs of change are perceived in the Independent Democratic Union, or at least that’s what the more than five thousand militants who voted for Javier Macaya as the next president of the community.
And the fact is that the UDI urgently needs to recover the ground lost in recent years at the hands of its partners in National Renewal, who were the party with the most elected congressmen in the 2017 Parliamentarians.
In RN the old names like Alberto Espina and Carlos Larraín have been relegated to the background, and leaderships such as that of Mario Desbordes and Manuel José Ossandón with one more line to the political center.
However, their UDI partners have not seen a major change in their leadership and despite the choice of Jacqueline Van Rysselberghe, the figures of the “colonels”, such as Andrés Chadwick, Juan Antonio Coloma Correa and Pablo Longueira.
The latter even tried to return to politics in a failed nomination for helmsman of the unionism, however his legal problems over the SQM Case led him to decline his candidacy in favor of Victor Pérez.
The latter defended the management of Jacqueline van Rysselberghe, assuring that “he would do everything in the same way”.
“If I had had to lead the party during the period that Van Rysselberghe had, I would do everything the same way, because that was the context and circumstances,” said the former Interior Minister.
It was the corollary of the so-called “colonels” of the UDI. This, because although both Coloma and Chadwick are still active, especially the senator for Maule, inside the party they assure that in this election their role was practically invisible.
So, this time apparently the “generation of replacement” achieved a victory that will allow it to give that much-needed replacement of names and guidelines, as expected by the militants who voted for Macaya.
Although at some point the former deputy Ernesto Silva managed to become helmsman of the official store as part of this “generation of spare parts”, his connection with the scandal with Penta led him to resign in March 2015 without being able to complete his term, nor consolidating the new air.
Although this time on the list a name that has its own traction was included, such as that of deputy María José Hoffmann, who although in a minute thought herself to preside over the UDI, finally ran as secretary general.
Not in vain is the current head of the bench in the Chamber of Deputies, a position where she has managed to align a large part of her colleagues in important votes, giving herself the chance to publicly criticize the Government.
Macaya, the moderate dialoguer
Regarding Macaya, the truth is that within the UDI they recognize that although he has defended the principles of the more conservative right, he is a moderate figure who manages to reach agreements, which will obviously be very useful when thinking about the constituent process.
The latter, beyond the relationship it can build with the government of Sebastián Piñera, which in the next 14 months will have to leave La Moneda. On the other hand, the proximity of Macaya with some key ministers such as Jaime Bellolio, Hernán Larraín and Lucas Palacios, with whom it could establish direct lines is known.
The president-elect of the union announced that they will seek to give “content” to their relationship with the Government to confront the opposition.
“Our sector has the ability to put ‘play’ to its own music, not to be dancing to the rhythm of the music that those in the front play us. Within all the empathy that must be had today with a country that is with new questions, we have to be able to find those new answers as well, with a stronger will to reach agreements, “he said.
In this way, the main challenges will be the 2021 constitutional and presidential elections, where two very strong cards are emerging to become standard bearers: Joaquín Lavín and Evelyn Matthei.
Anyway, there is another name that is around and with which you may have to sit down and talk, such as Jose Antonio Kast, with whom they must define the eventual incorporation of the Republican Party in the list for constitutional.
Fair play
In this regard, in conversation with BioBioChile, the Senator Juan Antonio Coloma He assured that “this is part of the decisions of the coalition and I am in favor of having a list as integrated as possible and that obviously does not depend only on one, but depends on the effort of all. I hope that we can all have a unitary list ”.
Along with highlighting that it was an electoral process with “fair play”, without major friction or conflicts, Coloma emphasizes that “here is a party evidently with complementary leadership, but that it remains united and that is what is now seen and perceived” .
Regarding the challenges that the UDI must face after the election, the former “colonel” pointed out that “here the grace is that everyone is joining, I saw people who have been founders of the party supporting Javier Macaya and I saw young people supporting to Víctor Pérez ”.
Pérez himself highlighted the “white glove” after acknowledging his defeat in the elections.
“This was a campaign and a contest with a white glove, with a lot of vision, and I believe that the UDI will undoubtedly come out strengthened,” he said.
“We are sure that Javier Macaya will lead the game in very difficult moments,” he ventured.
The challenges for the UDI
“Here there was no logic of a before and after, here the logic is that the same principles have to seek ever-renewed formulas, particularly in a scenario next year that is so prolific in terms of elections,” Senator Coloma explained. .
“I think there are many challenges, some have to do with the next election of conventional constituents, there is the elections of regional governors, mayors, councilors, there is a great challenge and then immediately the presidential primaries,” he said.
“For us, keeping two candidates who have a high degree of chances of being successful, such as Joaquín Lavín and Evelyn Matthei, also opens up a very valuable space in how to achieve together and probably through the open primary system the search for the best alternative to the presidential election, “Coloma said.
“In terms of challenges, we are going to have a very intense period and that is why it is essential to have common ideas,” he concluded.
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