After the storm of disqualifications in the Senate following the election of the board of directors, the breakdown of the administrative agreement has triggered significant changes in the composition of the parliamentary committees, with parliamentarian José García Ruminot (RN) emerging as the new president of the Corporation instead of the official letter, Pedro Araya (PPD).
Yesterday, the air in the Senate was cut with a knife, which is unusual in this institution. One of the immediate effects of the breakdown of the agreement was the dissolution of the latter, especially in the formation of several commissions, including Finance, Education and Labor.
Faced with this complex scenario, with several impasses in the formation of the Finance Commission, García (RN) highlighted the shared interest that “all the commissions continue working”, announcing a meeting of committees to resolve the composition of these on Monday, April 1. “Our objective is to speed up legislative work, preventing any commission, for various reasons, from stopping its work,” said the new president of the Senate.
Lagos Weber continues to head the Finance Commission
The formation of the Finance Commission was particularly problematic, being one of the breaking points of the administrative agreement. The dispute revolved around the quota of Democratic senator Ximena Rincón, arguing that she had it in turn, while the Christian Democracy bench maintained that it was a quota for the group and not for a particular person. After the breakdown of the agreement, the previous formation of the commission was maintained.
And the resignation of Senator Lagos Weber as president of the commission was rejected by the official members, José Miguel Insulza (PS), Daniel Núñez (PC) and Lagos Weber himself; José García abstained and Gustavo Sanhueza (UDI) voted in favor. Following this result, the session was adjourned and it is understood that at least until the beginning of next month, the commission will remain as it has been until now.
In this way, and after a “blockade” on the arrival of Felipe Kast (Evópoli) to the commission, since Lagos Weber and Núñez withdrew their resignation from the instance, the ruling party maintains the majority in the Treasury as a form of response to the no respect for the agreement to become president of the Senate.
Senator Rincón’s entry into the Finance Commission was also suspended.
Moreira and her Tibetan bowl
In the Labor Commission, key to the processing of the reform of the pension system promoted by the Government of President Gabriel Boric, uncertainty reigned over the presidency. But, finally, Iván Moreira (UDI) was elected as president to replace Loreto Carvajal (PPD).
Senator Moreira arrived at the committee with a Tibetan bowl to “calm things down.” The union legislator expressed his regret for the situation of the agreements and promised to represent all the members of the commission.
On the other hand, in the Education Commission, the agreement was respected and Senator Jaime Quintana (PPD) was unanimously elected as president, succeeding José García Ruminot (RN), who in turn had assumed the presidency of the Corporation. .
These changes mark a moment of turbulence in the Senate, where internal differences have led to a reconfiguration of parliamentary dynamics, with probable repercussions on the country’s legislative agenda.