Valparaíso Governor Rodrigo Mundaca: ‘Decentralization Can Transform People’s Lives’

The Governor of the Valparaíso Region outlined the pending challenges around decentralization in Chile and the proposal he delivered to presidential candidate Jeannette Jara.

On Wednesday, October 1, the regional governor of Valparaíso, Rodrigo Mundaca, said on Entrevista Ciudadana that he traveled to Santiago to present a proposal built from the regions to presidential candidate Jeannette Jara, and he pressed the urgent need to deepen decentralization in Chile, emphasizing the process is still in its infancy. In El Ciudadano, the governor explained how this process has unfolded and highlighted the main outstanding challenges.

Mundaca pinpointed the key areas where centralization remains a burden. In the political sphere, he criticized the current government’s unfulfilled promise to end the role of presidential delegates: “That never happened. The delegates have remained in place throughout the entire term.” On the administrative front, he contrasted staffing levels, noting that his Regional Government has only 178 employees to serve 38 communes, while “the most modest municipality in our region has 500 workers,” he said.

Regarding crucial fiscal decentralization, the governor underscored that the Valparaíso Regional Government’s budget “depends on the national treasury for 93%,” which, he argued, means being “at the mercy of the swings and the poor planning of public finances.” As a solution, he promoted the “Regiones más Fuertes” bill, which seeks to ensure that companies exploiting natural resources in the territories leave their tax contributions in the regions.

Despite the challenges of centralism, Mundaca highlighted the shift in decision-making his role has enabled, moving beyond a litany of complaints. He stressed that decentralization “changes people’s lives,” because it flips the decision-making pyramid: all public investment decisions are now defined in the territory itself, together with regional councilors. He asserted that this process should be “one of the most important political milestones of the 21st century.”

The GORE showcased the impact of its management, noting that the Regional Government has stepped into multiple areas beyond its original competencies. He cited concrete examples of investment in the region, such as equipping neonatal pediatric and ophthalmology units at Carlos Van Buren Hospital. He also pointed to support for elite athletes and the construction of neighborhoods in Valparaíso.

Mundaca reflected on the key to his re-election, contrasting his approach with centralist logic. He attributed his victory across the 38 communes to tolerance and to “putting people’s well-being and the common good first,” working with all sectors. He also issued a major critique of development, stating that “the public resources managed by the State, and those managed by the regional government, are not enough to overcome territorial asymmetries.”

Watch the full interview conducted by El Ciudadano Director Javier Pineda with Valparaíso Regional Governor Rodrigo Mundaca.