Huenchumilla Criticizes Frei Ruiz-Tagle for ‘Damaging Historical Memory’ by Supporting Kast

Original article: Huenchumilla: Frei Ruiz-Tagle «lesiona la memoria histórica» de su padre y Chile por apoyo a Kast

The DC member condemns the meeting between the former president and the far-right leader, calling for an emergency party session.

On Tuesday, November 25, re-elected senator and president of the Christian Democratic Party (DC), Francisco Huenchumilla, announced an emergency meeting to discuss the controversial encounter between former President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle and far-right candidate José Kast, labeling it as a «confusing» and «inopportune» act.

Huenchumilla stressed that the party’s criticism is not about dialogue between authorities but rather the responsibility that comes with being a former head of state when meeting with a far-right representative. He emphasized that this situation «leads to confusion among party members when a former president, a man from their ranks, engages in such a meeting,» also accusing him of compromising the historical memory of President Frei Montalva, who is the father of the former president.

It is important to remember that Eduardo Frei Montalva, the father of Ruiz-Tagle—both Christian Democrats—died in January 1982 from a homicide attributed to former agents of the CNI and doctors at the Santa María Clinic, amid a covert «medical negligence» operation by the dictatorship. Therefore, for his son, with this family history, to approach a sector that glorifies the military regime is viewed as a betrayal of the legacy and the core principles of the party.

The DC leadership interprets this gesture as a sign of a split, to which Senator Huenchumilla asserted that Frei Ruiz-Tagle has been «dragging the poncho for months with other behaviors of this nature,» and that this meeting represents the culmination of a trend. He added, «Apparently, he is looking for excuses to definitively align with the right and, in this case, with the far-right,» noting that he did not attend internal party meetings to defend his stance.

Finally, Francisco Huenchumilla expressed disappointment over the lack of internal dialogue, stating that Frei did not communicate with the leadership to present his position and has severed all ties with them. In response, the DC president declared that he does not believe in monarchs in Chile, insisting that the former president has a responsibility to uphold the history and principles of his party.