President José Antonio Kast met on Friday at La Moneda with the secretaries-general of the governing parties. According to Emol, the meeting focused on improving political and communications coordination, especially in the regions.
Attendees included Vicente Bruna (Republican Party), Juan Antonio Coloma (UDI), Katherine Martorell (National Renewal, RN) and Macarena Cornejo (Evópoli). Also present were Undersecretary of the Interior Máximo Pavez, Minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segpres) José García Ruminot, and Undersecretary of the General Secretariat of Government (Segegob) José Francisco Lagos.
Claudio Alvarado, who heads both the Ministry of the Interior and Segegob, did not attend. According to Emol, he had another meeting scheduled at the same time. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half.
The meeting is part of the discussions the government has sought to organize with the governing parties. The aim, according to the outlet, is to improve coordination and receive "proposals for improvement".
Sources present at the meeting told Emol that the backdrop was a series of exchanges between the executive branch and the parties. Officials at the palace dismiss the idea of "friendly fire." They describe the differences as "legitimate," but question the "manner" in which they were expressed.
La Moneda maintains that criticism should be conveyed through channels that are "institutional and private," to avoid harming the government. According to the same sources, the secretaries-general made no direct criticisms during the meeting.
Bruna described it as "an extensive coordination meeting." He added that each party presented proposals and congratulations to the executive branch, and that the President "took notes and listened to us attentively."
Martorell spoke of a "very honest" conversation about how to improve coordination, "especially with a focus on the regions." Coloma mentioned agreements on local work, communications and the parties’ support for the executive branch.
A change is on the way. According to El Mercurio, as cited by Emol, Lagos has been responsible for regularly coordinating with the secretaries-general. However, his departure from the cabinet is reportedly imminent, in the coming weeks, as part of a restructuring of the Ministry of the Interior and Segegob.
The source does not specify who will take on that liaison role. Coloma, meanwhile, called for these meetings to be repeated: "This is how an important part of the governing bloc is built."
