Original article: La estrategia para impedir la votación: denuncian que republicanos dilatan por tercera vez el proyecto que prohíbe las carreras de galgos
A coalition of lawmakers and animal rights organizations accused members of the Republican Party on Monday of delaying the discussion on a bill intended to ban greyhound racing nationwide for the third consecutive time, as part of a strategy to obstruct its voting.
It is important to note that the session was supposed to include discussions on four initiatives, with the bill (Bill 15387-12) proposing the ban on greyhound racing being the third in line.
The initiative was introduced in 2021 by former deputy Tomás Hirsch (Humanist Action) and has garnered support from lawmakers from the Liberal Party, National Renewal, Socialist Party, Party for Democracy, Communist Party, Broad Front, and independents. It aims to impose a prison sentence of up to three years as well as fines ranging from 20 to 40 UTM on those engaging in these practices; a permanent disqualification from animal ownership for convicted individuals and fines for those who promote or disseminate dog races, which incur penalties from 5 to 20 UTM.
«The strategy is to delay the debate on this project which comes before the greyhound racing proposal,» stated Deputy Alejandro Bernalesira in a video shared on social media.
To support his accusations, the legislator showed a record from the Chamber with around 20 Republican deputies, along with representatives from RN and the UDI, signed up to speak on prior initiatives, effectively stalling the vote on the dog racing legislation.
«The point here is to register your entire caucus. Look, Republican Party, everyone is signed up to delay. So, 20 minutes remain in the session, and there are thirty deputies who can only address the first proposal just now. Then they move to the greyhounds. Thus, those who oppose the bill organize to ensure it doesn’t get discussed or voted on today,» he explained in his recording while pointing out that despite these delaying tactics, «sooner or later» this project will be voted on in the Chamber.
Meanwhile, Deputy Sebastián Videla sent a message to all citizens who wish to advance in animal protection, indicating that the bill to ban greyhound racing was not voted on «due to a trick» from the right.
«The vote was delayed, even though we publicly thank many deputies who were indeed going to vote in favor of banning greyhound racing. This is a disgrace; as a country, we cannot move forward, but it gives us a lot of strength to carry on. I believe we are united, and there are many people in various parts of Chile who support prohibiting greyhound racing. So we will continue demanding a vote and I want to thank the groups that have come here with significant efforts,» said the parliamentarian.
«We tell the Government not to play tricks because today people want to advance, and we have the votes to approve the project,» he asserted.
Deputy Jaime Araya recalled that the project had been approved by the committee in the last few quarters of 2025 and «is set for discussion in this Chamber,» yet the right has done everything possible to delay its voting.
«They are cowards hiding and refusing to face the public. They do not want the project to be voted on so that people don’t know what they think about this terrible act of animal abuse. Many claim this is a sport, a tradition. Neither sport nor tradition, this is animal abuse, and the Republican Party and the National Libertarian Party have devised all possible ways to hide and prevent this project from being voted on,» he alleged.
Deputy Marisela Santibáñez acknowledged the work done during the previous legislative period by the Environment Commission to bring the initiative to the Chamber and emphasized that the project is the result of years of effort and a tremendously strong management alongside animal protection organizations and rescuers. She denounced that the right has done everything possible to halt its progress and «prevent us from discussing it in the Chamber.»
«We have worked for a long time to reach this moment, and today it is time to face the rescue organizations, Luis ‘Galgo’ Martínez, Eliana Albasetti, and all those who are making a tremendous effort on social networks to carry this discussion forward. So I tell the Republicans, especially to Benjamín Moreno, tell me, if your agenda for criminality is so strong with this president (José Antonio Kast), why refuse? Why refuse to prohibit something that involves illegal activities? It doesn’t pay taxes, something that charges for entry fees, also for alcoholic beverages, food, and ticket sales—which I was able to see for myself, infiltrating a race at a racetrack with journalist Emilio Sutherland (…) Therefore, I urge all caucuses to allow this project to reach a vote so that we can definitively say no more greyhound racing,” she stated.
«Greyhounds Do Not Understand Delays»
The president of Galgo Libre Chile, Daniel Pacheco, termed it «a disgrace» that the project to prohibit dog racing has again been postponed in Congress and pointed out that «greyhounds do not understand delays.»
«Greyhounds continue to suffer; they continue to be exploited, and sadly, the deputies are not rising to the occasion for the animals of our country or for the citizens who elected them,» he stressed in a video shared on social media.
In light of this situation, he called on animal protection entities across the country to «join the citizens who demand the prohibition of dog races and ensure the project is tabled for a vote once and for all.»
From Galgo Libre, rescuer and activist Luis Martínez also criticized that the same political sector once again organized to ensure the bill banning dog races was not voted on for the third consecutive time.
«They organized to delay the discussions of the first two bills, which is why it could not be discussed for the third time. The same political sector as always turning its back on the greyhounds, so that they know who to vote for in the next elections,» he stated in a recording shared on his Instagram account.
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