The Socialist Party (PS) caucus announced that it will file a complaint against Deputy Javier Olivares, of the People's Party (PDG), with the Ethics Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. The complaint concerns his remarks about former President Michelle Bachelet and former presidential candidate Evelyn Matthei.
According to CNN Chile, Olivares reacted to Bachelet's announcement that she would seek a third presidential candidacy. He recommended that she "follow in Mrs. Matthei's footsteps, cook and make some good stews to teach people".
According to diarioeldia.cl, the deputy also argued that the former president should retire from public life to spend time with her grandchildren. Socialist deputies Marcos Ilabaca, Carolina Cucumides and Nelson Venegas described the remarks as "sexist, misogynistic and discriminatory".
Venegas clarified that the action was not prompted by the identities of the women involved. "We are filing this complaint not because it concerns Michelle Bachelet or Evelyn Matthei, but because he mistreats women," he said. He added that Olivares's words seek to "normalize sending them to the kitchen".
Ilabaca raised another point: age. He said the remarks "disparage older people's contributions, as if age took away their right to participate and decide". He called for an investigation and "the appropriate sanctions".
Criticism also came from within the PDG itself. Deputy Pamela Jiles said she had "enormous differences" with Bachelet, but rejected "this veritable epidemic of mistreatment of female political figures because of their bodies and their gender".
From the Coquimbo Region, Deputy Eileen Urqueta, also of the PDG, said the Ethics Committee would have to examine the case with due process. She recalled that Bachelet had been president twice and that Matthei had served as a minister, senator, deputy and mayor. "Both have records that can and should be debated on the basis of ideas," she said.
Deputy Bernardo Salinas regretted that the episode was diverting attention from the debate on the National Budget. However, he said Olivares's conduct "meets all the grounds for sanctions".
The PDG is the party founded around former presidential candidate Franco Parisi, with its own caucus in the Chamber. The sources do not specify what sanction the Ethics Committee could impose in this case or when it will review the complaint.
The episode comes as Bachelet considers a third presidential bid. If it goes ahead, she would be the first person in Chile to run for La Moneda three times since the return to democracy after already completing two terms. For now, the next step is the formal filing of the Socialist complaint with the committee.
