RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – There are 44 days left before Gabriel Boric officially takes office as president of Chile, and according to several people close to him, teams are already working on aspects that will be unavoidable in the first months of his term.
First, as he himself has said in interviews, he will try to make progress in creating greater economic security for the country, while working on the fiscal pact that will allow him to pass the tax reform he needs to implement his government program without further delay.
Together with Mario Marcel, but also with María Begoña Yarza, whom he has appointed head of the Ministry of Health, he will have to decide how to continue the fight against the pandemic and whether or not to continue administering booster doses.
This is because she has already pointed out that it is pointless to administer more doses on the national territory, while in most countries access to the vaccine is much worse.
In addition, there are also political aspects that need to be urgently resolved: the rising crime rate, the continuing violence in the southern macrozone, the return of school classes for presidential instruction, and possible pardons for the so-called “prisoners of the uprising.”
INCREASING CRIME
In recent weeks, homicides, burglaries and shootings have dominated the national scene. And according to various experts, these are not isolated cases, but increasing crimes.
For this reason, the name of PPD Eduardo Vergara, who is to be appointed Undersecretary for Crime Prevention, has been viewed favorably, as he has widely appreciated credentials.
VIOLENCE AND MAPUCHE REBELLION IN THE SOUTHERN MACROZONE
During the election campaign, Gabriel Boric emphasized that he wants to address the conflict and the “open wound” in the southern macrozone.
And among the first definitions adopted in this direction is the announcement that they are ready to talk to all actors, as Izkia Siches has repeated, and that the state of emergency will not be extended on March 11.
RETURN OF CLASSES TO SCHOOL
“Schools must be the last to close and the first to open”. This is a phrase that Gabriel Boric has said over and over again after his election. However, Marco Antonio Ávila, whom he appointed head of the Ministry of Education, explained that this will not necessarily lead to a return to frontal teaching, as the Piñera government has promoted for this school year.
As Ávila explained on radio station T13, once appointed they will form a new working group with the Minsal to determine the next steps, and then hope to agree with all stakeholders on the best options.
This is also because the teachers’ union is critical of a massive return to classrooms as long as covid cases continue to rise.
PARDONS OR AMNESTIES
Yesterday, the Senate Constitutional Committee failed to send the bill on the amnesty of the so-called prisoners of the uprising to the Chamber of Deputies, making it increasingly likely that this vote will be postponed until March, as will the proceedings in the Chamber of Deputies.
They managed to finish the vote on the catalog of crimes to be included, leaving out the frustrated murder, a crime that the group of relatives considered essential, since several people are imprisoned for this offense, but, they claim, with false evidence.
For the same reason, the organization questioned those who “call themselves our representatives in Congress.” They demand speed from parliamentarians.