According to La Tercera, Senator Vlado Mirosevic (Partido Liberal) took over on Wednesday as chair of the Comisión de Constitución, Legislación, Justicia y Reglamento (the Constitution, Legislation, Justice and Rules Committee) of the Senado (Chile's Senate). He won by three votes to two, in a session the outlet described as tense.
The vote split along bloc lines. The three opposition senators voted for Mirosevic: Mirosevic himself, Socialist Paulina Vodanovic and Communist Claudia Pascual. The two governing-coalition senators voted against: Arturo Squella (Partido Republicano) and Andrés Longton (Renovación Nacional).
The committee secretary put the options to a vote. Vodanovic nominated Mirosevic. Squella nominated Longton instead, as a form of "reproach" over the removal of Pedro Araya (PPD), whom the Socialismo Democrático caucus replaced on the committee.
After the result, Longton asked for the floor. He argued that the election formalizes the breach of an agreement signed in March of this year, which gave Araya the chair for the first year.
The RN senator said the document bears the signatures of Juan Luis Castro and all the caucus leaders. He also said it is part of the overall agreement on how the committees are distributed.
"We have been notified that this agreement was dead", Longton said. He added that the governing coalition will make whatever decisions it deems appropriate regarding the Senate leadership in the coming years and regarding committee chairs and membership.
The source does not report any response from the opposition or the Senate leadership. Nor does it say when the changes Longton announced might take effect.
