Chile to Drop Security Reform, Back Senate Alternative

President José Antonio Kast met with Senate and Chamber leaders at Cerro Castillo on Wednesday and agreed to withdraw his administration's constitutional security reform, which lacked congressional support. The government will instead back a new proposal drafted by senators Pedro Araya (PPD), Arturo Squella (Republican Party), and Andrés Longton (RN).

The alternative plan retains two elements from the original bill: constitutional condemnation of organized crime and differentiated prison regimes for Gendarmerie. It drops the proposed new state of exception, replacing it with modifications to the existing state of emergency for public security threats.

“What matters to us is defeating organized crime. Who gets credit for a law and a reform? The truth is I don't care and I think Chileans don't either.”

Socialist Party president and senator Paulina Vodanovic angrily denied participation in the agreement hours later. She stated she only learned of the text Tuesday afternoon and was not invited to the negotiations, contradicting suggestions her 2024 prison reform initiative had been incorporated.

Kast, speaking in Antofagasta, urged Vodanovic and the opposition to join the effort, saying authorship of the law does not matter. He confirmed the withdrawal could happen next week once the alternative is formally presented.

The government needs 29 Senate votes for approval, three more than its coalition holds, making support from parts of the Democratic Socialism bloc essential. Araya said the formal withdrawal could occur next week.