A joint committee of representatives from both chambers of Congress will be in charge of settling the differences that have arisen around the bill that allows for municipal and regional elections in two days.
The meeting, which is scheduled for next Tuesday, July 9, will focus on seeking an agreement on electoral propaganda, fines for not voting and the adjustment of the value of the vote.
This third instance will be necessary following the Senate rejected, in the third procedure last Tuesday, part of the amendments introduced by the Chamber of Deputies and Representatives regarding: electoral propaganda on social networks, regional or local channels (rejected by the Chamber); adjustment of the return of validly cast votes; and fines for those who do not go to vote (eliminated by the Chamber).
It should be noted that Senator Luz Ebensperger (UDI) requested a separate vote for the amendments described above, which were unanimously rejected in order to facilitate the formation of the Mixed Committee.
Likewise, the Undersecretary of the Segpres, Macarena Lobos, detailed the changes that came from the Chamber and agreed with the articles that must be revised.
The rest of the amendments introduced in the second procedure, and which are mostly of a formal nature, were supported by 33 votes in favor and 1 once morest, and establish aspects related to the incorporation of the registry of caregivers in order to be able to excuse themselves as a member; adjustments to receiving tables and secret chambers; rules that guarantee paid public transportation; the incorporation of the disqualification to be a candidate for those who are in the registry of debtors of alimony; and the designation of members, among other matters.
During the debate, Senator Luz Ebensperger (UDI) and Senator Fidel Espinoza (PS) pointed out the inconvenience of removing from the project the sanctions for those who do not go to vote and stated that “without sanctions, the project has no meaning.” In addition, it was reinforced that compulsory voting is “a civic obligation.”
Senator Espinoza also insisted that “the two-day plan will be a mistake for which we will pay dearly,” and described the decision as “discriminatory for those who live in rural areas, because public transport will be available for one day.”
In another order, the Senate maintained the 4/7 quorum for the project, despite the fact that it was reclassified in the House.
Camaño’s vote
The controversial passage of the project through the Chamber, which led to the formation of a Mixed Committee, had the vote of four of the five deputies for Ñuble in favor of maintaining the fines for those who do not vote.
The only one who voted once morest, the DC ind. Felipe Camaño, argued that the objective was precisely for the text to be mixed, since the sanctions are currently at the discretion of the local police judges, and in some cases, disproportionate.
“The right is demanding my vote to eliminate fines for not voting. I am not ashamed of my vote, what is shameful is that I was the only deputy from Ñuble who voted in favor of raising pensions and raising the minimum wage. That should be a shame for them. I will always vote for what I believe in, what makes people better, and not myself,” said the parliamentarian through his social networks.
“I do believe in compulsory voting, but the vote the other day was not final. The objective was to send the project to a joint committee and for the fines to be imposed in a conscious manner,” he said.
#pitted #political #world #Discusión
