Crisis in Chile: What has changed after a year of social protests ?

Social protests October 2019

Different experts estimated that the Chilean social outbreak was in a "pause" while the country was in quarantine, with the possibility that the protests would be reactivated if the political class did not openly condemn the episodes of violence.

  

It has been 12 months since one of the biggest political-social crises in the history of Chile began. On the political spectrum, the center-right government of Sebastián Piñera has sought to appease the demands of the citizenry with his proposals, including a reform of the Chilean pension system (the so-called AFPs, private system), to which a new Fund of Collective and Solidarity Savings would be added, of a state nature, among other novelties.

For their part, both the ruling party and the opposition continue to campaign for and against a new Constitution, which will be decided in a referendum to be held on October 25th. Despite the fact that an agreement was reached to draw up a new Magna Carta, both political sectors do not seem to have the support of the public, who are crying out for structural changes in the system.

There is no consensual diagnosis of the causes of this social outbreak, nor of its solutions.

La Moneda - Government Palace

Neither the government nor the opposition have a very clear understanding of this phenomenon. An attempt has been made to advance in this, the political world promoted a new Constitution, but the violence continued in the streets for several months before the pandemic, so it is not known if this will be solved.

On the other hand, the Government has tried to increase social spending, improve pensions, give aid bonds and that has not reassured the people either.

The president of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, as well as the Congress have a very poor approval of the citizenship according to the latest polls, mainly due to some corruption scandals, crisis of representation and a tiredness of the political parties that were one of the main reasons for this crossroads.

Although the Chilean social outbreak began with many adherents in the streets throughout the country, as the weeks went by, the protests lost intensity and this was reflected in a drop in the number of people attending the marches, as well as in the rejection of events of extreme violence.

* You might be interested in:

https://csachannel.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-riots-that-shook-chile.html

President Sebastián Piñera apologized and announced a series of measures to end the social crisis

Pensions, minimum wage and parliamentary reduction: Piñera delivers a series of measures amid crises in the country.

The President also apologized to the Chileans, for their "lack of vision", in a crisis that, according to him, had been coming for decades.

President Sebastián Piñera announced a series of measures to end the social crisis in the country.

First he indicated that this comes from decades ago, so he acknowledged a "lack of vision and I apologize to my countrymen." To then point out a series of measures that will make up his "Social Agenda" that will be proposed to Congress or directly implemented by the Government, as appropriate.

Pensions

On the issue of Pensions, he announced an "immediate increase of 20% of the Basic Solidarity Pension, which will benefit 590 thousand pensioners." Together with this, an "immediate 20% increase in the Solidarity Pension Contribution, which will benefit 945 thousand pensioners." An "additional increase in basic pensions and solidarity pension contributions, during the years 2021 and 2022, for pensioners over 75 years old."

While for the pension savings of the middle class and the women who work and contribute, they will be given a contribution of fiscal resources "to increase their pensions at the time of retirement, which will favor 500 thousand workers".

And finally, tax contributions to improve pensions for senior citizens.

Health and Medicines

Speaking about health, the President announced the creation of an Insurance, which will cover part of the cost of medicines in Chilean families. And in turn, the "extension of the FONASA agreement with pharmacies, to reduce the price of medicines, which will benefit more than 12 million people." 

In addition, he insisted on the urgency of "immediate discussion of the Bill sent by our Government to the Congress that creates the Catastrophic Diseases Insurance, in order to ensure a ceiling on family health spending." Whatever exceeds that ceiling, the insurance will cover it.

Guaranteed Minimum Income

On Salaries, a Minimum Guaranteed Income of CL$ 350,000 (USD 482) will be created, "for all full-time workers that complement the workers' salary, when it is less than CL$ 350,000." In the Guaranteed Minimum Income, the State is responsible for supplementing the salary, in case the worker does not reach CL$ 350,000.

Electric rates

Another of the announcements was a mechanism for stabilizing electricity rates, which would allow the recent increase of 9.2% of electricity to be canceled, which had been announced by January 2020.

Inequality

While in inequality, one of the measures he explained was higher taxes on the highest income sectors, with the creation of a new tranche in the 40% Complementary Global Tax for income over CL$ 8,000,000 per month (USD 11,016). This "would increase tax collection by USD 160 million." 

On the other hand, he pointed out greater equity between high and low income districts. This, strengthening the Municipal Common Fund, "establishing greater contributions from the higher-income districts, for the benefit of the lower-income districts."

He added that they propose, and therefore support, the reduction of parliamentary diets and high salaries of the public administration. In addition to reducing the number of parliamentarians and a limitation of re-elections.

Delinquency

To combat crime, he proposed the creation of the Victim Advocacy Office, which would facilitate access and strengthen legal defense and social and psychological support for victims of crime.

Reconstruction

In conjunction with this, in order to restore property that has been damaged in recent days, a "Reconstruction Plan for damages and destruction caused by violence and crime in recent days, which have caused serious damages to public infrastructure, especially in the Metro. 

The President evaluated that the plan "will take time" and will commit resources for more than 350 million dollars.

Urgency in projects sent

In addition, the President said that there are several projects of high social content that have been sent to Congress and are intended to accelerate their processing and approval. 

Among them the Pro-Childhood Project, which ends with the SENAME; The project that creates the Catastrophic Health Insurance; Project the right to the Universal Crib Room and the project that establishes the reduction of the contributions (housing tax) of the most vulnerable older adults.

Finally, President Piñera stressed that "this Social Agenda will not solve all the problems that afflict Chileans. But it will be a necessary and significant contribution to improve their quality of life."

Source: Emol

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights would have received illegal contributions

Leo Pinheiro former boss of the OAS construction company

September 16th 2019

Entrepreneur investigated by case Lava Jato links OAS and Lula with Bachelet campaign in Chile. Léo Pinheiro, former construction boss, said he delivered 101.6 million pesos (about USD 145,000) to finance the campaign of the then candidate for President of Chile, at the request of the former Brazilian President.

In the midst of the investigation into the Lava Jato case, which investigates a wide network of corruption between politicians and contractor companies in Brazil, businessman Léo Pinheiro revealed in his judicial statement that the company he ran, the construction company OAS, illegally financed the presidential campaign of Michelle Bachelet in 2013, at the request of former President Lula da Silva.

As part of the delation agreement negotiated with the Public Ministry, according to the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper, Pinheiro mentioned the former Brazilian president as a business intermediary between the aforementioned company and the Governments of Costa Rica and Chile, as well as revealed an alleged interference in other countries such as Bolivia and Equatorial Guinea.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva began serving a 12 year prison sentence in 2018 for corruption

In the case of Chile, Pinheiro -who has been detained since 2016- said that the Brazilian company was trying to establish itself in 2013, by joining the consortium that sought to build a bridge in the Chacao canal, a process initiated during the Government of Sebastián Piñera, but that would be specified in the subsequent administration. It was an election year, where New Majority flag bearer Michelle Bachelet was the favorite to return to La Moneda.

In that sense, according to the testimony revealed by Folha, OAS was afraid of losing the contract with the change of government, a concern that they transmitted to Lula. The former president replied that he discussed the issue with former Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, who in turn would have guaranteed that the construction company would continue with the concession.

Likewise, Pinheiro assured that Lula asked for money to finance the Bachelet campaign, in order to secure the concession. This is how, according to the businessman, the Brazilian company paid 101.6 million pesos "in the interest of the Bachelet campaign". This amount, he said, was delivered through a fictitious contract with the company Martelli y Asociados after the end of the campaign.

Lula Da Silva supporting Michelle Bachelet (2013)

However, after the Lava Jato case broke out in Brazil and OAS interference was investigated, the construction company withdrew from the concession in the Chacao canal.

According to Folha, Léo Pinheiro also revealed shares of his company in other countries, with the intervention of Lula. That was the case of Bolivia where, according to the former director, OAS was awarded the construction of a road between the cities of Potosí and Tarija in 2003 at the request of the leader of the PT, whose government at that time had differences with the administration of Evo Morales. It was not an easy project, since it had been initiated in 2003 by Queiroz Galvao, a company that broke into a conflict with the Bolivian government, breaking the contract in 2007. This opened a diplomatic impasse that Brasilia wanted to avoid.

In this way, Pinheiro assured that the then Brazilian President promised OAS to obtain another contract in Bolivia as compensation for taking a problematic project.

Another case cited by the former president of OAS was the intervention of Lula in Costa Rica. In 2011, the former president was hired by the Brazilian company, through the payment of USD 200,000, for a conference, and managed a meeting between Pinheiro and former Costa Rican head of state Óscar Arias.

Likewise, the businessman met with the then President Laura Chinchilla to negotiate the obtaining of public concessions, a business that took shape.

Léo Pinheiro is syndicated as one of those responsible for OAS in a huge plot of corruption that includes the delivery of a triplex by the construction company to former President Lula, made by which the former ruler was sentenced to 9 years in prison, penalty which he is serving in a criminal enclosure in Curitiba.

September 17th 2019

Bachelet and alleged relationship between her campaign and Brazilian construction company: "I have not had any link with OAS." I do not know if there will be a background behind this, "said the former President, after a Brazilian publication said that in 2013 her campaign would have received contributions from the company.

Former Chilean President and current UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

The former President and current High Commissioner for Human Rights of the UN, Michelle Bachelet, spoke about the supposed link between the OAS company and the financing of her campaign in 2013. "I have never had a link with OAS, nor with no other company, "said Bachelet, also describing as" strange that this information now appears on topics that are quite speculative such as the Chacao Bridge, which the truth is that it was awarded during the Government of Sebastián Piñera and not during mine. " .

Source: Emol.com

Santiago - Valparaíso high speed train and to Pudahuel airport (2019 Public Account)

The announcements in transports

During the Public Account in the National Congress, the President of the Republic Sebastián Piñera, detailed several infrastructure projects. One of the emblematics, the idea of ​​"declaring of public interest" the proposal to create a high-speed train service from Santiago to Valparaíso and San Antonio.

"Announce today that the Ministry of Public Works has declared of public interest the projects to build the much desired passenger and freight trains, which will connect the city of Santiago with the ports of Valparaíso and San Antonio and preparing us to call an international tender", said the President.

The construction would be the first high-speed train in South America, which would be available to around 7 million people. 

Although today there is a layout for railways in the Central Zone, one option is the construction of a new one, which would cross the Valley of Maria Pinto and Casablanca through three tunnels, linking Santiago with Valparaiso in a trip that is estimated to last 45 minutes approximately. At least that is the project of Tren Valparaíso Santiago (TVS), a company that has proposed to carry out the work. In this idea, the tour includes four stations: one in Valparaíso (Baron sector), another in Viña del Mar (downtown), Casablanca and finally in Maipú (Vespucio-Pajaritos).

The new project presented by AGUNSA

The new railway option would start in Mapocho station, would go through Til Til, Olmué and Limache to finish its journey in Viña del Mar and Valparaíso.

The new project was presented by a consortium of companies formed by the Spanish Talgo, AGUNSA and FCC.

Train to the airport, Line 10 and possibility of subway in regions

Another of the points that the President addressed in his speech was the connectivity problem that currently affects the Santiago airport, due to the lack of public transportation to the airport and to which it intends to provide a prompt solution. Well, although in recent years different ways of fixing this problem have been proposed, such as the extension of line 7 of the underground to the airport -a project that different experts have ruled out due to the large investment that would have to be made- or the implementation of more buses.

Piñera revealed that the option chosen by the Executive would be the creation of a train to the Pudahuel airport. On the same occasion, the President took the opportunity to inform that some Metro Lines will be extended and again showed his intention to create Line 10, which had been announced in January this year by the Head of State.

"We are promoting a profound modernization of our public transport system, which includes the duplication of the Metro network in the Metropolitan Region, going from 150 to almost 300 km, through the recently inaugurated Line 3, the new Lines 7, 8, 9 and 10, and the extensions of Lines 2 to San Bernardo, 3 to Quilicura, 4 to Bajos de Mena, 6 to Isidora Goyenechea and the train to the airport", commented the President. Additionally, the President revealed that "we have also begun studies to analyze the feasibility of building underground in other cities, starting in Concepción".

Source: EMOL

Venezuela: Military support Juan Guaido and release Leopoldo Lopez

Juan Guaidó launched the "final phase of Freedom Operation" surrounded by soldiers and the Venezuelans defy the repression of the regime.

The president in charge of Venezuela, accompanied by the opposition leader Leopoldo López, gave a message to the country. "We are going to the street. National Armed Force continue the deployment until we consolidate the end of the usurpation, which is already irreversible," he said.

The Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo López, released today by related military, was sentenced in September 2015 to almost 14 years in prison for crimes related to an opposition march convened on February 12th, 2014 and which resulted in three deaths.

He remained for more than three years in the military prison of Ramo Verde and since mid-2017 he was under house arrest.

Today, April 30th, López is released by opposition forces and transferred to the La Carlota military base in Caracas.

Brief summary of the facts

06:00 hrs: The interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó, affirmed on Twitter that he began the final phase of Operation Libertad "with the main units of the Armed Forces" and summoned the people of Venezuela to the La Carlota air base.

07:20 hrs: The American senator Marco Rubio stated on twitter: "The Maduro regime called for armed groups to take the streets, which is a clear sign that they have lost faith in the military."

11:00 hrs: Juan Guaidó once again expressed on Twitter: "The streets of Venezuela are still filled with people and more people!" All the Venezuelans who are taking to the streets, Brothers, we are making history, the cessation of the usurpation is irreversible. #TodaVenezuelaALaCalle ".

11:04 hrs: Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro left a message on Twitter: "Brazil stands in solidarity with the long-suffering Venezuelan people enslaved by a dictator supported by the PT, the PSOL and ideological allies." We support the freedom of this sister nation to finally live a true democracy. "

11:55 hrs: Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero informed that today at 15:30 hrs there will be a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Lima Group by teleconference to analyze the situation in Venezuela.

12:15 hrs: Juan Guaidó spoke again on Twitter: "We have talked with our allies in the international community and we have their strong support for this irreversible process of change in our country, Operation Libertad began and we will resist until we achieve a free Venezuela #TodaVenezuelaALaCalle ".

"The dictatorship of Nicolás Maduro has done a giant, immeasurable damage to the life of Venezuela and also to the quality of life of Venezuelans and I am convinced that this dictatorship sooner rather than later must end," said Chilean President Sebastian Piñera.

Source: 

Infobae

Emol

Chile signs Free Trade Agreement with Brazil

Main recipient of Chilean investment and largest trading partner in the region: The figures of the economic relationship with Brazil.

Last November, both countries signed a free trade agreement, which was negotiated in "record" time, and which must be ratified by Congress.

This agreement between both countries addresses issues as diverse as telecommunications, electronic commerce, services, environment, employment and gender, as well as economic cooperation.

"The agreement incorporates new chapters on technology, cybersecurity, in terms of Antarctic collaboration, in many fields that we have managed to advance, including the firm will of our countries to unite the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean, from Puerto Murtinho, going through Paraguay and Argentina, to the ports in the north of our country, "said President Sebastián Piñera, on that occasion.

Hence, the importance for both countries of maintaining solid commercial relations, whose commercial exchange last year amounted to USD 10,066 million. Brazil - a market of 208 million inhabitants - is Chile's first commercial partner in Latin America, and the main recipient of direct investment abroad, which stands out for its capacity to generate employment, which already reaches 159,000 people, according to Direcon figures.

The attractiveness of Brazil as a destination for Chilean investments has been evident during the sexennium between 2010 and 2017, when Chilean companies accumulated investments for USD 17,231 million, that is, the figure represents 36.2% of the total invested in the world in that period. "The agreement, negotiated and signed last year, due to the sense of urgency imposed by both governments, will enter into the Congress in the coming weeks.

But not only at the government level are constant efforts to expand political and economic relations. In fact, under this framework of Jair Bolsonaro's visit to Chile, a delegation of national businessmen met with the Brazilian President.

To see some of the most important figures of the commercial relations of Chile and Brazil check the infographic below:

Source: Emol.com 

https://www.emol.com/noticias/Economia/2019/03/23/942085/Las-cifras-que-marcan-las-relaciones-economicas-entre-Chile-y-Brasil.html

PROSUR - Chilean President calls on South American leaders to defend ideas of freedom and respect for human rights

Santiago de Chile - Chilean President Sebastian Piñera encourages the Latin American right and calls his supporters to be "warriors" in the face of 21st century socialism.

During his speech at the Santiago Forum, the President summoned the leaders of the sector to defend the ideas of freedom in each of their countries to "counteract" the influence of the left in the continent.

President Piñera made a clear call to the leaders and right-wing parties in Latin America to defend freedom and respect for human rights in their countries, with the aim of "counteracting" the ideas promoted by the socialism of the 21st century that led to failure in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.

During his speech at the Forum of Santiago, organized by the Chilean conglomerate "Chile Vamos", in which they called representatives of different collectives and study centers of the sector at the regional level, the President underscored the need for everyone to act in a coordinated manner to defeat the ideas that the left has permeated in the countries of the continent.

After referring to the political crisis in Venezuela, Piñera recalled that "ten years ago virtually our entire continent was under the influence of misguided ideas of the Sao Paulo Forum, under the auspices of the Cuban Communist Party and the Brazilian Workers' Party, which preached ideas that have failed in the whole world. "

"The fall of the Soviet Union is the best expression of the failure of twentieth century socialism: Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, are the best expressions of the failure of 21st century socialism and for that reason, because there is no evil that lasts 100 years, I am sure that the dictatorships and especially that of Venezuela has his days numbered", he said.

In this context, the head of state said that "today we are sowing a seed to counteract the bad teachings and bad ideas that unfortunately spread and dominated our Latin America from the Forum of Sao Paulo and replace them with the ideas of freedom, respect for people. "

"The State must be at the service of the common good and of the people, and not try to use them or manipulate them in causes that we all know have not only been wrong, but have only led to pain, suffering and death wherever they may have been applied", he said.

In his opinion, "we have to play the mission that corresponds to us: To be the warriors, the ideologists, those who defend our ideas with conviction, with will and with enthusiasm and in that way we will be able to build a Latin America and in each one from our countries more free, prosperous and just societies".

Cuba and Venezuela are dictatorships

During his speech, the president stopped in the Venezuelan situation, saying that "today we have brutal dictatorships and that is something that for a long time the countries of Latin America did not know how to confront: 60 years in Cuba and more than two decades of a democracy that it was transformed into a dictatorship, as it is the case of Venezuela. "

"Because Venezuela and Cuba, let's say it with force and clarity, are dictatorships: there are no political freedoms, no human rights are respected, no separation of powers, no freedom of expression and today we have known sad news, which is the kidnapping of Roberto Marrero, who is the chief of the cabinet of President Juan Guaidó", he stressed.

The President stressed that "once again the Venezuelan dictatorship shows its most miserable and most perverse face to the whole world, I was in Cúcuta and many people ask what was achieved." Many things were achieved: unite, motivate and revive the opposition democracy in Venezuela"

"The world saw a President trying to get humanitarian aid in a peaceful way, medicine and food that the Venezuelan people needed urgently, and it saw, on the other hand, a dictator who brutally repressed his own people and who showed the ugliest and most miserable face of that dictatorship", he concluded.

Source: emol.com

Chilean Government confirms that bi-oceanic corridor with Argentina will be part of the Impulse Plan

Before the end of this year, a meeting between the foreign ministers of Chile, Roberto Ampuero, and Argentina, Jorge Faurie, would be carried out in order to formalize an agreement for the creation of a bioceanic corridor between both countries. This would connect the regions of La Araucanía and the province of Neuquén. The meeting, according to preliminary information, would be made at the border crossing of Pino Hachado, located in the Lonquimay area, in the IX Region.

Precisely, this control is where the binational crossing of the corridor would take place, given that it is a customs office that operates all year round and that does not present periods of closure, since it is located at an altitude of 1,884 meters above sea level.

"The theme of the corridor advances very fast and climbed at the level of the chancelleries. In addition, it was included among the projects of the Impulse Plan, "the mayor of the IX Region, Luis Mayol, told El Mercurio, referring to one of the components of the" National Agreement for Development and Peace in La Araucanía ", which was presented on Monday in Temuco by President Sebastián Piñera.

The mayor said that on the Argentinian side "there is a lot of interest to realize this project, because they are starting to move some (gas) deposits in the sector of Zapala and want to take them through Chilean territory in the direction of Asian countries." The project includes a dry port in Victoria and the departure of cargoes to the sea by the Biobío or Los Ríos, since La Araucanía does not have a maritime terminal.

Mayol added that "for now, the roads we have are going to be reinforced to raise them to a higher standard, so that they have better resistance to the passage of trucks, as well as more comfortable berms," he anticipated.

In addition, he said that "here you can think of bigger things" and revealed, without giving more details, that "there is a company that is asking for information because it is interested in evaluating its participation in building a railroad" that connects with the Argentine railway system.

(Extract source: Lignum-CPI)