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The Government confirmed this Friday the 90-day extension of the state of catastrophe in the country, just days before its second renewal expired, this Monday, September 14.
This announcement implies that the plebiscite of October 25, like the first anniversary of the partner outburstl -the 18th of the same month- are developed under a constitutional state of exception.
According to the Presidency statement, the Executive resolved it because the pandemic “continues to be present in our territory and is still having an impact on public health”, which makes it “necessary to have the appropriate tools to protect people’s health and hand over powers to the Government and the health authority to continue establishing protection measures, such as quarantines, cordons and sanitary customs and a curfew.”
“Additionally, the Government informs that se will evaluate the lifting of this measure if the health situation allows it“, specifies the letter.
The Interior Minister, Víctor Pérez, said that “all our actions have to be linked to the restrictions required by the pandemic, and just as on September 18 we will pass it with many restrictions, there will be no Ramadas and the Military Parade will Being a Covid type, we believe that the entire campaign towards the plebiscite will have to be regulated by those same norms. We are going to build protocols so that everyone can campaign so that the plebiscite is participatory, informed and safe. Health comes first. “
The extension will be for 90 days despite the fact that on Thursday, September 3, Minister Pérez, in conversation with The Cooperative Diary, assured that the measure It was only going to be for -approximately- 10 days from September 14.
This with the objective -as he explained- of allow the curfew to apply during the National Holidays, to avoid negative consequences regarding the pandemic in the face of the plebiscite.
Exception State Extension by Cooperativa.cl on Scribd
“It is compatible with the Plebiscite”
Although some in the opposition questioned the government’s decision, the president of the House Constitution Committee, Matias Walker (DC) stated that “it is an unavoidable measure” despite the political context in which it will be in force.
“It is important to remember however that, according to our constitutional norms, the President of the Republic has to report to Congress -he specified, given that it is the second renewal of the state of catastrophe- And remember that it only affects the freedom of mobilization and assembly, therefore, is perfectly compatible with the realization of the Plebiscite“.
He helmsman of the Socialist Party, Senator Álvaro Elizalde, stated that “as we have said, the state of catastrophe should be prolonged as long as necessary while the health emergency is not overcome, but at the same time we approved a constitutional reform that clearly establishes that General health measures cannot affect the right of citizens to express themselves at the ballot boxTherefore, here two principles are reconciled: the need to ensure the health of the population with the importance of carrying out the Plebiscite “.
For his part, the deputy Jorge Brito (RD) stated that “it is time to evaluate what are all the orders and powers that the President of the Republic has transferred to the head of National Defense. Surely there are issues that can be corrected, because what has been done is important, but we are also concerned about what has not been done
“The President had the attribution of, for example, controlling the price of certain staple foods, but he did not want to do it,” recalled the parliamentarian, pointing out that what they want is “that the tools provided by the Constitution be used for the benefit of people”.
Although the new extension will be for another 90 days, the Government maintains that its lifting will be evaluated if the health situation allows it.
