Senator Pedro Araya (independent-PPD) accused the Socialist Party (PS) on Tuesday of leading an "authoritarian socialism". He made the remarks after the Democratic Socialism caucus removed him as chair of the Senate Constitution Committee. Vlado Mirosevic of the Liberal Party (PL) will take his place.
According to CNN Chile, the decision was finalized on Monday. The caucus, which brings together the PS, the Party for Democracy (PPD) and the PL, submitted a formal letter to replace him. The committee leader, Senator Juan Luis Castro (PS), led the change.
The backdrop is the security agenda. Araya was the opposition lawmaker with whom the government managed to reach an understanding. According to Cooperativa, he agreed with Senators Arturo Squella (Republican Party) and Andrés Longton (National Renewal) on an alternative to the executive branch's constitutional reform, which would create a new state of emergency.
"Democratic Socialism stopped being Democratic Socialism and became authoritarian socialism, where thinking differently is punished," Araya said. He also challenged Castro: "The time has come for Senator Castro to explain what deal he has that makes him oppose progress on a reform whose aim is to strengthen the state."
The senator warned that his removal could stall security bills. He mentioned the constitutional reform and the Adolescent Criminal Responsibility Law. In his view, the change seeks to slow that agenda.
Castro has a different account. According to BioBioChile, he maintained that the differences had been under discussion for weeks and that the decision was signed by the deputy leader of the PPD caucus, Senator Ricardo Celis. "No one here could complain about a lack of notice," he told Cooperativa. He added that they did not feel well represented on a committee that is now strategic for security.
Araya's account clashes with Castro's. The senator said that PPD president Deputy Raúl Soto was surprised by the move. According to Araya, Soto considered it "an affront" because no one spoke with the party leadership, and warned that it puts opposition unity at risk.
Mirosevic, for his part, insisted that he does not seek to halt the security agenda. He said he wants the opposition's voice to be heard and the legislative process to avoid becoming political propaganda.
Claudio Alvarado, who heads both the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of the General Secretariat of Government (Segegob), reacted from La Moneda. He told La Tercera that "what may be prevailing here is a view that involves denying the government everything." Longton was harsher, calling the removal "brutal Stalinism."
The political cost could extend beyond the committee. Alvarado suggested that the decision could affect the Senate's March administrative agreement, which would give the PS the presidency of the chamber next year. Longton warned that, if the majorities change, there could be "a different leadership."
For now, Araya confirmed that he will remain in the Democratic Socialism committee and in the PPD, although he said he is reflecting on what happened.
