The presence of elected officials serving within José Antonio Kast's administration has sparked mounting political pressure for them to resign from their municipal and regional posts. The situation, which affects key figures within the ruling coalition, is escalating due to repeated absences from the legislative sessions they were elected to represent.
Las Condes councilman Richard Kouyoulamjian publicly questioned the lack of replacements for officials who have joined the Executive branch. “I would like to know what the Republicans are doing to replace their council members... Operating councils with two members short is not a law of God,” he stated during the April 9 session.
Among those affected are Kast's chief of staff, Catalina Ugarte, and Las Condes councilman Cristóbal de la Maza. Sources indicate that both may submit their resignations from their municipal posts this Thursday.
Ethical and budgetary conflicts
The controversy extends beyond municipal management. Several regional counselors (cores) from the Metropolitan Region also hold positions in the Government, including Ignacio Dulger, Álvaro Bellolio, Víctor Valdés, and Felipe Serey.
The Government is seeking to prevent public officials from collecting multiple salaries, particularly within a context of fiscal austerity. Furthermore, there are ethical concerns regarding the abandonment of the oversight and representation duties for which they were elected.
Kouyoulamjian asserted that high-level management roles make it impossible to fulfill municipal duties. “Their functions do not allow them enough time to perform what is expected of a councilman: overseeing the administration, leading committees, and attending sessions,” he maintained.
In the case of regional counselors, internal records from the RM CORE show absences from committee meetings. Although some of those involved deny frequent absences, the pressure for a definitive decision is mounting.
Ignacio Dulger's future appears different from his peers. According to sources close to him, he is likely to resign from his government position in June to take on a leadership role in Acción Republicana, while retaining his seat as a regional counselor.
