Franco Parisi, leader and former presidential candidate of the Partido de la Gente (PDG, People's Party), on Thursday distanced himself from statements by Javier Olivares, a deputy from his party, against former president Michelle Bachelet. "In politics I learned that being courteous doesn't make you any less brave", Parisi said.
According to T13, the controversy began after Bachelet did not rule out a possible presidential run. As reported by Radio Bío Bío, Olivares responded that "hopefully Mrs. Bachelet goes home and enjoys her grandchildren".
The deputy added that the former head of state "could follow in the footsteps of Mrs. (Evelyn) Matthei, cook and make some good cazuelas to teach people".
Matthei, a former presidential candidate and former mayor of Providencia, responded on X. "Women in politics are judged by our abilities, ideas and performance, not by household chores", she wrote. She also said that in Chile the days when women were sent "to the kitchen" are over.
Parisi, for his part, said his party has "tremendous appreciation for women, who have a very hard time in Chile" and that it is very difficult for them to enter politics. That is why, he explained, the PDG fields the same number of male and female candidates, and will continue to do so.
The party leader went beyond the controversy. As reported by G5 Noticias, Parisi said the PDG is already working with the scenario of a primary between Bachelet and former president Gabriel Boric. In his view, Bachelet would win by a wide margin, although she comes off what he described as "major defeats".
Parisi projected that, in that case, Boric would run for senator for Santiago and be elected. That, he said, would open "a tremendous wound" in the Partido Comunista (Communist Party), the Frente Amplio (Broad Front) and the Partido Socialista (Socialist Party).
He also argued that a new Bachelet candidacy would push Johannes Kaiser toward the far right and Boric toward the far left. According to Parisi, that scenario widens the PDG's electoral space.
Bachelet's possible return has already stirred the governing coalition. President José Antonio Kast called a potential candidacy legitimate and called for a review of the tax, labor and education reforms of her governments. Boric has not commented.
Parisi closed with a concrete prediction: he said Deputy Pamela Jiles will be elected senator for the Región Metropolitana (Santiago Metropolitan Region) "no matter what".
