Death Toll and Disappearances Prompt Opposition to Urge Delay of Mega-Reform in Coquimbo Region

Original article: Con muertos y desaparecidos en la Región de Coquimbo, crece presión opositora para pausar la megarreforma

In light of the crisis triggered by the frontal system in the Coquimbo Region, which has resulted in fatalities and missing persons, pressure is mounting from the opposition to the government of José Antonio Kast, demanding the postponement of the controversial economic-tax reform to focus all efforts on addressing the emergency.

During a coordination meeting with party presidents, secretaries, and heads of factions, leaders from the opposition accused the far-right administration of responding too late by declaring a State of Catastrophe. They emphasized that “critical hours” were lost for mobilizing resources and organizing response actions to the frontal systems, which hit the provinces of Coquimbo and Huasco especially hard.

Raúl Soto, president of the PPD, noted that “the government has acted, but it has acted late,” specifying that the 24-hour delay was «crucial in preventing the situation affecting thousands of families».

Criticism extended beyond the timing of the response, as leaders questioned why, despite the emergency, La Moneda’s priority remains on the advancement of the mega-reform, arguing that legislative discussions are inappropriate while regions are submerged in catastrophe.

In this context, they insisted on postponing the discussion until next week, asserting that the absolute priority must be addressing the catastrophe and supporting affected families. Paulina Vodanovic, president of the Socialist Party, described it as “incomprehensible” that amidst the emergency, the Kast government continues to push for an initiative that proposes reducing the corporate tax rate from 27% to 23%, decreasing state revenue and affecting the capacity to finance public policies.

“Chile does not understand that, while all this is happening, we are going to be legislating a reform that reduces income for the country; that is the truth,” she affirmed, as reported by Bio Bío Chile.

Bárbara Figueroa, secretary general of the Communist Party, challenged the president to focus efforts on affected families and to set aside the «stubbornness» of advancing “the reform of (Jorge) Quiroz».

The opposition leadership as a whole conveyed a clear message: there is no room for a legislative agenda when the population is facing loss of lives and destruction of their homes.

Despite the criticism, the Ministry of Finance, led by Jorge Quiroz, dismissed the idea of postponing the vote and assured that efforts to address the emergency from the storm do not prevent parliamentarians from attending Congress this Tuesday to continue the debate on the disputed project.

Mayor of Coquimbo: “The Government’s Crisis Management Has Been a Complete Failure”

The Mayor of Coquimbo, Ali Manouchehri, launched harsh criticisms against the Kast administration, suggesting that the declaration of a State of Catastrophe occurred when the situation had already spiraled out of control in several areas of the commune.

Manouchehri stated bluntly that “the State of Catastrophe arrives when we are unfortunately counting our dead,” and he reported that the commune learned of this declaration through the press, which he believes validates the criticism from all mayors in the region. “The government’s crisis management has been a complete failure,” he concluded in statements captured by Diario El Día.

The mayor indicated that municipal teams continue to assess the damages and the impact of the frontal system using drones, stating that “we have areas completely isolated due to the overflow of the ravines and missing persons since yesterday trying to evacuate with a late SAE alert”.

The mayor assured that the municipality will continue working together with emergency institutions to address the situation. However, he made it clear that he has little faith that the Kast administration will “take good care of our people, which is why we will continue collaborating with Carabineros, Firefighters, the Navy, and our municipal officials”.

Featured photo: La Voz del Norte.