Senator and Socialist Party (PS) president Paulina Vodanovic lashed out at the executive branch on Monday over the lack of legislative dialogue regarding the National Reconstruction Plan, which is set to be unveiled this week by President José Antonio Kast. The senator asserted that the government is pushing forward unilaterally without considering opposition political forces.
“There is a clear desire from the government to move forward without listening,” Vodanovic stated in an interview with Radio Pauta. The lawmaker maintained that neither she nor the deputies in her caucus have been contacted by authorities to discuss the scope of the initiative.
The PS leader emphasized that this approach is unprecedented in standard legislative dynamics. She explained that governments typically engage in pre-legislative work to inform stakeholders and seek consensus, rather than attempting to impose measures directly.
“The deputies have told us that, despite being the chamber where this bill must originate, they haven't been contacted by anyone in the government,” the senator explained. Furthermore, Vodanovic pointedly remarked on the internal processes of the ruling coalition, noting that the executive has struggled even with its own allies, citing previous complaints from Renovación Nacional regarding their lack of access to the text.
Criticism of the Project's Content
The senator described the government's proposal as a “tutti frutti” due to the wide variety of subjects it covers. In her view, the government is using the concept of reconstruction as a cover to introduce structural reforms that are unrelated to the emergency.
“When you are being presented with a covert reform under the guise of reconstruction measures, I believe that is deceiving the public,” Vodanovic declared. For this reason, the senator insisted that the appropriate course of action would be to split the project into separate initiatives to allow for proper debate.
Regarding the tax changes included in the plan, Vodanovic questioned the viability of cutting taxes on large corporations as a tool for economic recovery. The senator argued that technical evidence does not support the idea that this measure will generate a positive effect in the short term.
“What they are looking for here is to lower taxes on big business, but the intended effect will not materialize,” she asserted. The PS president concluded by noting that her party remains open to dialogue, but warned that if the government persists in its refusal to negotiate, they will have to face the political consequences of their reform's passage.
