Emergency laws test the limits of democracy in Chile

 

Mattias Mächs/TT

Published 18.24

 

 Chilean President José Antonio Kast, center, in conversation with Argentine President Javier Milei during the inauguration of their ideological ally, Colombia's new president Abelardo de la Espriella, on August 7. Photo: Matias Delacroix/AP/TT

Chilean right-wing leader José Antonio Kast came to power promising an iron fist against criminals.

But a new proposal for far-reaching emergency laws is drawing criticism even from within his own ranks.

Like several other recently inaugurated right-wing presidents in Latin America, Kast has drawn inspiration from El Salvador's authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele in the fight against organized crime.

The government recently published its own photos of how nearly 300 high-risk prisoners were moved to a new large prison.

– We are sending a clear message to criminals that things have changed, Kast said in connection with the move.

– We will hunt you down, and we will find you.

Shifting gears

But after dissatisfaction from supporters that the pace of reform since the government took office in March has not matched the campaign rhetoric, Kast has tried to shift gears. In early August, a package of laws was presented that gives the state increased powers in crime prevention.

Among the measures are the permanent deployment of police forces in certain areas, harsher penalties for gang membership and fewer restrictions on the use of force by the police.

It also includes changes to the constitution – so that the president, without seeking support from Congress, can declare a state of emergency for up to eight months.

“Doesn’t want to sacrifice everything”

Several experts condemn the proposal as both unnecessarily far-reaching and a threat to democratic principles. The possibility of restricting freedoms is particularly controversial in a country still reeling from the brutal 1973-1990 dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

The proposal is also divisive among the government’s supporting parties, several of which are demanding changes.

The leader of the center-right Evopolis party, Luciano Cruz-Coke, questions “the false assumption that people are prepared to sacrifice everything for security.”

Kast dismisses criticism that he is steering the country in an “illiberal” direction.

But he is open to changing things like the timeframe for a state of emergency.

“You can modify that, if that’s the problem,” he said in an interview on Monday.