According to BioBioChile, former Chile Vamos presidential candidate Evelyn Matthei ruled out attending the Chamber of Deputies' investigative commission on the Cerimedo case. The commission would investigate the use of bots on social media during the last presidential election.
According to the outlet, Matthei had reportedly agreed earlier to appear. However, she changed her position when questioned by Radio ADN. Her argument focused on the person who will lead the commission, Republican Deputy José Carlos Meza.
"The chair is a Republican. Do you think I'm going to agree to go there and take part in the Republicans' show?" the former mayor of Providencia asked.
The commission stems from allegations Matthei made during the campaign about attacks against her on social media. The source does not detail the origin of the case's name or who is under investigation. Nor does it report a response from Republican deputies to her remarks.
Matthei also questioned the commission's usefulness. "Do you think anything will actually come out of it? Look, what's done is done," she said. She added that people are currently struggling with rain, unemployment and crime, and called for attention to those issues.
Despite her refusal, she appealed to Congress. She called for legislation to prevent a repeat of what happened in the next elections, in two or three years.
Asked about those demanding evidence for her allegations, Matthei was blunt. She maintained that "Chilean men and women made up their minds about that quite some time ago."
"I'm not the one who has to provide evidence. Everyone knows who said I had Alzheimer's," she concluded, referring to rumors about her health that circulated during the campaign.
The episode adds to tensions between Matthei and the Republican Party, President José Antonio Kast's party. Her refusal leaves the commission without testimony from the main target of the alleged bot campaign.
