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Once the result of the constitutional accusation against the former Minister of Health, Jaime Mañalich – rejected by 71 votes in favor, 73 against and 7 abstentions – was notified, the wave of recriminations exploded within the opposition.
In particular, the darts were directed at the seven parliamentarians who opted for abstention (and who in practice join the rejection): Pepe Auth (independent), Loreto Carvajal (PPD), Pablo Lorenzini (ex DC), Fernando Meza ( ex PR), Gabriel Silber (DC), Jaime Tohá (PS) and Daniel Verdessi, head of the DC bench. They were joined by DC Jorge Sabag, who rightly voted against the libel.
In the opposition they were left with a bitter taste, because, although they have a sufficient majority to have approved the constitutional accusation, once again the decision of several of their own to run with their own colors failed a libel presented in the Chamber.
“What most catches my attention are the abstentions, because the arguments were solid, with objective data exposed,” the radical deputy Marcela Hernando, in charge of supporting the libel against the former minister before the Chamber. But Pepe Auth He justified his position on Twitter and pointed out that “I would only have voted an AC for the pandemic deniers Trump, Bolsonaro and Boris Johnson before the contagion. What happened in Chile is a public policy debate and disagreement with a management style, it is not enough to charge Mañalich with the deceased and disable him for 5 years ”.
According to Auth, “disqualifying a former minister for 5 years is a poor substitute for the unity of the Opposition, which must be sought around common proposals and candidacies that represent everyone.”
Another deputy who chose to abstain, DC Gabriel Silber, also gave explanations. “A share of common sense is good in the opposition,” he told Emol.
Broad Front: “A shame”
For the Broad Front, the film is repeated, because again an accusation driven by its hosts ends up condemned to failure. This happened in 2018, when they were not able to carry out the libel against the then Minister of Health, Emilio Santelices, or the failed prosecution attempt against the judges of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court the same year.
From that sector the MP Giorgio Jackson (RD), who accused that “between the ruling party and some sectors of the ‘opposition’ declare the constitutional accusation inadmissible and leave Mañalich free of (formal) political responsibility.”
Meanwhile, the deputy and president of the Democratic Revolution, Catalina Pérez, He expressed that “7 votes were missing to approve the # Constitutional Accusation against # Mañalich. Despite the excellent presentation of @MarcelaHernando, some decide to continue looking to the side. A shame, it is outrageous.”
On the other hand, the deputy Diego Ibáñez (Social Convergence) He considered that “political irresponsibility cannot go unpunished. The Prosecutor’s Office and Justice must respond to the manipulation, the lies. What a shame the Congress.”
In addition, the also RD, Jorge Brito, He stressed that “a minister who hid the number of deceased compatriots WILL NOT HAVE even a political condemnation in this Congress. There are times when UNITY is needed, but the real one. Not just for a ballot. Unfortunately.”
Not all of DC
For its part, deputy Maya Fernández (PS) lamented “the lack of unity in the face of the need for responses and responsibilities in a pandemic management that was and continues to be abysmally deficient,” while Deputy Ricardo Celis (PPD) said that “hundreds of Chileans had to pay the cost of a mismanagement of the health authority during its exercise at the beginning of the pandemic, because here life and the common good of all had to be protected “.
In search of those responsible, the communist deputy Karol CariolaMeanwhile, he expressed that “for a long time there have been sectors of the opposition that, far from seeking unity, that far from putting the interests of citizens at the center, what they are looking for are personal pettiness.”
However, he avoided blaming the DC. “We cannot talk about the entire Christian Democracy because the role of the president of the commission that took up the previous question, the deputy (Iván) Flores, was impeccable. We cannot talk about all the parliamentarians from other sectors, because there was an important role played by other actors and it seems to me that in that it is important to make a difference. There is not a single opposition here and we have known that for a long time, ”said Deputy Cariola.
For its part, deputy Marisela Santibáñez –Who is also president of the Investigative Commission on deaths from COVID-19– criticized the result of the vote, stating that “an issue as sensitive as this cannot be left up in the air, it cannot be left in a vote that we regret for some votes that could have allowed public offices not to be in the hands of those who do not have the powers today ”.
He also recalled that there is a complaint against former minister Mañalich and said that he hopes that it is this complaint plus the work of the three investigative commissions that will finally clarify the data on the real magnitude of those killed in this pandemic.
“Mayor Daniel Jadue has in his hands, together with the three investigative commissions, the possibility of bringing the truth to the public and that the deputies who abstained, carry on their consciences the deaths or the omission of those deaths of Chilean citizens and Chilean ”, he concluded.
In turn, the deputy of the Social Green Regional Federation, Esteban Velásquez, stated that “despite the hard data, undeniable antecedents and important arguments provided by specialists on the subject and which were corroborated with statistics and figures, this accusation was rejected and we regret it, because it is public policy that wrongly established the former Minister Mañalich, with which he harmed thousands of people and territories like the one I represent ”.
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