Original article: Quiebre por la izquierda sacude al PPD: vicepresidente nacional anuncia salida de más de 300 militantes y acusa “complicidad” con agenda de Kast

Left-Wing Rift Rocks PPD: National Vice President Announces Departure of Over 300 Members, Accuses Complicity with Kast’s Agenda

A profound internal rift is shaking the PPD, following the announcement by its first national vice president, Cristóbal Barra, that more than 300 members are leaving, accusing parliamentary «complicity» with the agenda of José Antonio Kast’s government, stating the «catastrophic consequences» this has for vulnerable sectors and Chilean families.

In a press briefing outside Servel, Barra announced his resignation from the party, joined by Bárbara Sepúlveda, also vice president, and Lukas Soto, president of the PPD’s youth wing, who made the same decision.

«Today we made a difficult decision, but one that is ethically unavoidable. After over a decade of activism within the Party for Democracy, we announce our irrevocable resignation from the party,» he stated.

In a letter addressed to party members and the public, the former leaders indicated that those who signed the letter represent «half the political force of the party and the entire structure of the Youth PPD».

«We leave with the peace of mind that we have delivered our best efforts for the development of Chile and with the certainty that the PPD has ceased to be a useful instrument to serve national interests,» they noted.

According to Barra’s statements to the media, the decision is based on «profound and transparent reasons.» He first referenced the «complete absence of democracy and internal legality» and a strategy of complicity at the parliamentary level, barely disguised by Kast’s government agenda, which has «catastrophic consequences for vulnerable sectors and Chilean families».

«We will not be functional to the petty business of those who dress in garments to serve completely opposite ideas to what they claim to defend, disappointing Chile at such a historically complex moment,» stated the lawyer, a graduate of the University of Chile.

Expanding on the reasons for their exit, he criticized the party’s internal leadership and claimed they received no response from the board regarding their concerns, leading to what he called a «complicit silence».

«They did not respect the results of the internal election. The Supreme Tribunal acted with a mechanism that bypassed internal democracy, and a party that claims to defend democracy is quite incoherent not to respect internal democracy. This is why we made our decision, especially because they have strayed from the interests of the majority of Chile,» he emphasized.

In his remarks, Barra connected the resignation from the PPD with the positions taken by some party parliamentarians in Congress.

«It is public knowledge that there are some senators from the Party for Democracy who have openly supported. First, the unchanging tax policy that condemns our generation to see no tax changes for 25 years. That is a catastrophic consequence that we will all pay.
And secondly, when it came to voting on the non-payment of contributions, they also supported it, specifically Senator Pedro Araya,» he stated.

According to the leader, the Supreme Tribunal «devotes itself to pursuing certain individuals, but not those who vote against the party’s principles,» which he deemed «incoherent».

When asked about the impact of their departure on the PPD, he noted that it is not a «minor gesture» that a vice president, the national president of the youth with their youth, and the most voted vice president «resign from the party».

«It will undoubtedly be a blow to the PPD, but we are not doing it to harm the party; we are doing it for principled reasons,» he pointed out.

Before the media, Barra made it clear that the progressive democratic left convictions of those resigning from the party «remain intact and grow in this context».

«We will not abandon politics or public service», he emphasized.

Departure of Over 300 PPD Members and Formation of Firmes por Chile

He indicated that more than 300 members are expected to leave the party from Friday to Sunday and mentioned that those who are leaving are already part of a new movement.

«Starting today, we redirect all our energy and our strong grassroots work towards building a clean, coherent, and truly committed alternative to the interests of the majority of our homeland. We are stronger than ever. Firmes por Chile! We will seek a clean political alternative, coherent with its principles and values, that represents the popular majorities. This is work that we need to keep building and debating among ourselves. Today we establish ourselves as a movement called Firmes por Chile, and of course, we will see where this movement leads. That decision is yet to be made.»

«We are members of a new movement, and we will see where we project ourselves,» he emphasized.

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