President José Antonio Kast will hold no official event this Sunday, October 18, which marks seven years since the social unrest of 2019. Asked about the date this Thursday, the president called for looking ahead. "What we are doing is rebuilding our country," he said.
According to La Tercera, Kast described October 18 as "a difficult time, with a great deal of violence" and said he hoped "it never happens again." He then urged "that we look to the future" and mentioned the launch of Choose Chile, the state platform for attracting foreign investment.
The decision has a recent precedent. According to government sources cited by the outlet, La Moneda applied the same approach this past September 11, on the anniversary of the coup. The reasoning is that these dates create more divisions and that the priority should be the security, economy and employment agenda.
The shift is striking. Kast came to the presidency from one of the political camps most critical of the 2019 protests. At the time, he even declared himself an opponent of Sebastián Piñera's government over its handling of the crisis.
On Sunday, the executive branch will focus on potential protests. Security Minister Martín Arrau said the police would act "with force and determination" to protect citizens, public and private property, and the safety of police officers.
The omission angered the National Libertarian Party (PNL), which is not part of the governing coalition. Its president and former presidential candidate, Johannes Kaiser, maintained that October 18 "was a coup" and that the government is not doing "the Republic a favor by avoiding this issue." Senator Vanessa Kaiser, from the same party, called the absence of an official event "incredible."
Both the PNL and the Republican Party had expected a different signal: the announcement of pardons for uniformed personnel convicted over events during the unrest, a commitment Kast made upon arriving at La Moneda. Asked this Thursday, the president avoided answering and merely said "thank you very much," according to T13. Government sources told La Tercera that there is still no date for that announcement.
The governing parties, however, will mark the date. At 09:45 this Friday, their presidents and leaders will arrive at the National Congress building in Santiago to present the statement "Chile without violence: a commitment to preventing a return."
The text states that "no cause justifies violence" and that the police, the Investigative Police (PDI), the Prison Service and the Armed Forces must have political, legal and social support. It also challenges the left for having "endorsed" violence, romanticized the "front line" and pardoned convicted individuals whom it later rewarded with discretionary pensions. The PNL will not participate in the event.
