The Socialismo Democrático (Democratic Socialism) caucus removed Senator Pedro Araya (PPD), from the Región de Antofagasta (Antofagasta Region), from the Constitution Committee of the Senado (Chile's upper house of Congress). The head of that caucus, Juan Luis Castro (PS), carried out the move. Senator Vlado Mirosevic took his place.
According to La Tercera, the decision was retaliation for Araya's dealings with the Government as chair of that committee, especially on security matters. The PPD senators backed the change. However, the party's leadership, headed by Deputy Raúl Soto, learned of it by surprise.
Castro defended the removal to Diario Financiero. He said the opposition was not exercising its majority on the security agenda because Araya "made individual agreements with the government" without informing his caucus. He added that he had conveyed his "serious concerns" to the PPD weeks earlier.
The PS senator also recalled a precedent. Years ago, Guido Girardi, then head of the PPD caucus, removed Felipe Harboe from the same committee and put Araya in his place. "The same story in reverse," Castro said.
The episode casts doubt on the Senate administrative pact agreed in March. That agreement provides that next year the presidency of the upper chamber will go to a Socialist, possibly Alfonso de Urresti. The Minister of the Interior and of the Secretaría General de Gobierno (Ministry General Secretariat of Government), Claudio Alvarado (UDI), asked senators to respect that framework.
The numbers explain the unease. The governing coalition holds 26 of the Senate's 50 votes. With Araya it would reach 27, which in theory would allow it to take control of the Mesa (the Senate's leadership board). Some pro-government legislators propose backing him to preside over the chamber if the decision is not reversed.
The security agenda is also on hold. If the harder-line opposition controls the committee, it could stall the constitutional security reform that Araya signed together with Andrés Longton (RN) and Arturo Squella (Republicanos). The same applies to the migration reform and the new juvenile criminal responsibility law. The committee currently has no chair.
Longton called the move "thuggish" and said it breaks the administrative agreement. Squella spoke of an act of "bullying" and demanded an apology to Araya. De Urresti, meanwhile, contacted Javier Macaya (UDI) and Paulina Núñez (RN), who reportedly told him the pact should not be affected.
In the PPD, the leadership called what happened "unacceptable" because it was done behind the backs of the senator and the party leadership. Soto called PS president Paulina Vodanovic to express his displeasure, in a conversation that some accounts describe as tense.
The PPD national board called its former presidents to an urgent meeting to decide the next steps. The pro-government caucuses will also meet to assess whether the Senate pact still stands.
