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President José Antonio Kast used his first State of the Nation address on June 2 to roll out an agenda focused on economic relief, announcing a $30,000 bonus for each child between the ages of 0 and 13. The measure is aimed exclusively at families within the bottom 80% of the Social Registry of Households, the executive branch detailed.
“We will continue to support Chileans in facing these challenges because we know that when prices rise, it is always the families with the fewest resources who suffer the most,” the President remarked during his speech. Minister of Social Development María Jesús Wulf confirmed that the bill will be submitted to Congress in the coming weeks with “urgent” status to fast-track its implementation.
Parallel to this social agenda, the government is facing mounting political pressure regarding presidential pardons—a topic Kast deliberately omitted from his address to Congress. The Sunday before the ceremony, the head of state had signaled: “I am not going to announce anything regarding this matter,” though he reaffirmed that the power to grant pardons belongs exclusively to his office.
Currently, La Moneda is reviewing nearly 30 pardon requests filed by inmates linked to the former Punta Peuco prison, as well as members of the Armed Forces and Carabineros sentenced for crimes related to the 2019 social unrest. As reported by La Tercera, the executive branch expects to make announcements regarding these decisions in the coming days.
Pressure on the government has escalated from within the ranks of the Republican Party and the National Libertarian Party (PNL), especially following the death of former military prosecutor Óscar Alfonso Podlech, who was serving a sentence for crimes against humanity at Colina 1 prison. The frustration within the libertarian wing has reached the point of publicly demanding the resignation of Undersecretary of Human Rights Pablo Mira, a member of the National Renewal party.
The debate over pardons is intertwined with the management of the Punta Peuco facility, which former President Gabriel Boric had converted into a standard prison. The current President has expressed his intention to reverse that measure and has already ordered the transfer of three inmates from the facility—a decision that drew criticism from the opposition and led to communication breakdowns at La Moneda, where the responsibility was initially attributed to the Gendarmerie.
The political landscape remains tense, with factions of the ruling coalition waiting for the government to finalize benefits for the convicted. In the meantime, the executive branch is seeking to advance its economic agenda, attempting to mitigate the impact of the cost of living for Chilean families through the new child benefit.
