(Prensa Latina) The Chilean Senate will say the last word on whether or not to approve a constitutional reform to postpone the elections that were scheduled for April 10-11 to May 15-16.
Unless some unexpected inconvenience arises, it is taken for granted that the Upper House will approve the initiative, especially when its debate has been held in a true race against the clock before the elections.
On Wednesday, the plenary session of the House of Deputies approved the reform by a large majority, which had been announced on Sunday by President Sebastian Piñera.
The president argued the need to postpone the elections due to the critical situation in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, in a second wave that has generated an explosion of new contagions and the deterioration of health indicators.
The legislators gave the go-ahead to this measure by 126 votes in favor, three against and 11 abstentions, and the votes of various indications that were negotiated between the different benches and the government were also made in order to reach an agreement as quickly as possible.
Among these, it was agreed to paralyze the ongoing electoral campaign until April 28 to maintain the suspension of the functions of the mayors who are candidates for reelection and that the presidential and parliamentary primaries be held on July 18.
The debate on a postponement of the important elections of governors, mayors, councilors and delegates to the convention that will draft the new Constitution began to gain strength in the country weeks ago at the proposal of the Medical College and other health institutions, due to the critical health situation.
However, the government’s delay in accepting this measure has generated strong criticism in political sectors of all tendencies and professional unions, which also called for the adoption of mandatory health measures to stop the advance of Covid-19 effectively.
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