Leaders of National Renewal (RN), the Christian Democratic Party (DC), the Broad Front and the Republican Party expressed openness to discussing government payments in response to high unemployment, according to Cooperativa. On the station's El Primer Café program, they also rejected new withdrawals from pension funds.
Deputy Ximena Ossandón, vice president of RN, described the unemployment figures as "more than worrying". She said Chile has not returned to its pre-pandemic unemployment rates and clarified that this "is not this government's fault".
Ossandón said that "Chile has learned that we cannot campaign with people's pension money". She proposed the payments as aid for a specific emergency, before the sweeping reform promoted by the executive branch delivers results. "Historically, these payments have helped", she said, adding that they should be time-limited and targeted.
DC president Álvaro Ortiz said he understood "the anguish of thousands of families facing unemployment" and was open to the idea. However, he criticized the government, which he said spoke during the campaign of a "bankrupt state" and is now bringing a sweeping reform to Parliament.
Gael Yeomans, president of the Broad Front, said it was time to consider such measures because some people have been unemployed for a long time and have no income. Asking them to be patient, she said, is not good.
Yeomans also proposed postponing the implementation of the tax reform. By her calculation, this would make at least a billion dollars available for next year's budget and prevent certain cuts.
The most cautious was José Carlos Meza, vice president of the Republican Party. He described proposals for another pension withdrawal as irresponsible and warned that repeating "the same old formulas" leads "straight to the precipice".
Meza acknowledged that he is currently unconvinced about providing a payment. Even so, he said his party was willing to discuss it if fiscal responsibility "is going to be on the table". Cooperativa's report does not specify amounts or timelines for potential payments, or a government response to the proposal.
