Independent Senator Karim Bianchi will support the constitutional security reform proposed by President José Antonio Kast's government, according to BioBioChile. Bianchi chairs the Senate Public Security Committee and had initially questioned the initiative. He now supports it to unblock the pending legislative agenda.
In a conversation with the program Mesa Central, the senator explained his change of position. "I am helping to unblock a situation so we can advance a security agenda," he said. According to his account, the committee he chairs has around 30 bills awaiting consideration because the constitutional debate has brought everything to a halt.
Bianchi denied that his decision signaled a political rapprochement with the executive branch. He said he still had reservations about the proposal. He acknowledged that the reform could serve as another tool against crime, but said its passage would not, on its own, resolve the country's security problems. He also said he was willing to bear the political costs of cooperating with La Moneda.
The senator wants to add a change to Law 18,216, which governs alternatives to sentences that deprive people of or restrict their liberty, to the negotiations. His proposal expands the list of crimes subject to restrictions on access to those alternatives and includes kidnapping for ransom and arms trafficking. He said that, for him, this amendment carries even more weight than the constitutional reform.
In the same interview, Bianchi criticized the United States ambassador to Chile, Brandon Judd. The diplomat made statements about Chilean sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan and Antarctica. The source does not specify exactly what he said. The senator described those remarks as provocative and insulting.
"Chile does not need any patron for this," he said. He added that a small country's dignity is not defined by its size and that Chilean sovereignty "is not worth a centimeter less" than U.S. sovereignty. He also said he would like Judd to be replaced, although he acknowledged that the decision rests with the executive branch.
Bianchi welcomed Chile's official response, but distanced himself from the government's ideological affinities. Alignments with Donald Trump or Argentine President Javier Milei "are temporary," he said. By contrast, the defense of sovereignty and national interests "is permanent and is not negotiable."
As senator for Magallanes, Bianchi also warned about the lack of resources to monitor the strait. "Where is the budget for Magallanes, for maritime control of the strait, or are we going to turn it into a corridor for drug trafficking?" he asked.
His position presents a concrete challenge for the government. Bianchi warned that the lack of funding for police forces and maritime control increases risks in the southern region. He also called for the defense of sovereignty to include investment in infrastructure, connectivity and public services for people living in the country's remote regions.
