Deputy Jaime Bassa (Frente Amplio) has warned that Chile's political landscape is being fractured by an authoritarian right-wing faction currently holding power. In an interview with BioBioChile, the lawmaker highlighted the growing tension between the democratic and authoritarian wings within the right-wing spectrum.
Bassa, who transitioned from the Constitutional Convention to Congress, noted that while the political landscape has shifted, fundamental challenges remain. According to the legislator, the country has yet to achieve a new social contract capable of integrating its diverse political actors.
The lawmaker criticized the lack of common ground between recent constitutional proposals. He pointed out that while the first proposal was progressive in nature, the second was driven by the right and the veto power of the Republican Party, which effectively stifled dialogue between the two competing visions.
The need for a social contract
For Bassa, the core issue is not the existence of opposing ideologies, but rather the inability to acknowledge conflicting interests. He argued that the most privileged sectors of society do not seem to realize that state stability depends on protecting the needs of the most vulnerable populations.
“If the scales are too unbalanced, we will face deep-seated social instability that will ultimately impact the state apparatus itself,” explained the lawyer and professor of Constitutional Law to BioBioChile.
The legislator linked this imbalance to concrete issues such as the structural fiscal deficit and the ongoing difficulty of ensuring peace in the country's southern macro-zone. In this regard, he called on the democratic and liberal wings of the right to seek ways to resolve conflicts through dialogue rather than through the imposition of political agendas.
Regarding the future of his party, Bassa acknowledged recent electoral defeats but defended the cohesion of Frente Amplio. He asserted that the party is undergoing a process of constant preparation to reclaim public administration in the future.
Finally, the deputy emphasized that rather than just a new constitutional text, the country requires a fundamental recognition of equality among its citizens to build lasting agreements.
