When a president says “I was wrong”: Boric vindicates Piñera by firing him at an emotional state funeral | EUROtoday

Never in his political profession Sebastian Piñera He was handled as effectively by his political adversaries as this week, the week of his tragic loss of life. And the reward for the two-time president of Chile reached its highest level this Friday, in a formidable and emotional state funeral what introduced collectively hundreds of individuals within the streets already two former presidents, Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle y Michelle Bacheletalong with the present president, Gabriel Boric.

“As oppositionas has happened other times in our history in the midst of the political maelstrom, during his government the complaints and recriminations sometimes went beyond what was fair and reasonable”, Boric stated. earlier than the coffin of Piñera, who died in a helicopter accident this Tuesday on the age of 74.

“Sebastián Piñera Echenique was a political leader who paved the way throughout his entire career to a modern, democratic, liberal right, open to dialogue and to the agreements for the greater good of Chile,” added the president.

Las phrases of Boric have their historic weightsince as pupil chief fought Piñera throughout his first authoritiesfrom 2010 to 2014, and promised “chase him” for the accusations of human rights violations through the social outbreak of 2019. Piñera was, for the political coalition that introduced Boric to the La Moneda Palace, little lower than the satan.

But Boric, who turns 38 this Sunday, is totally different right now. This bothers essentially the most radical sectors of his coalition, though it was very effectively acquired by the remainder of the political arc and by Piñera's household, who highlighted the president's perspective and humanity lately.

“sit on the couch de O’Higgins It has made me understand President Piñera better“Admitted Boric, essentially the most left-wing president since Salvador Allende within the 70s.

“In times of high political polarization, both nationally and globally, these values ​​he represented Sebastián Piñera continue to be necessary for our country and the region to continue growing hand in hand with the tools of democracy. I didn't know him closely. We had a significant age difference. Also different trainings and interests. But I had to share with him in his capacity as former president of the Republic. And in this condition I recognize and appreciate that he never, ever, failed to provide help and advice despite the public differences we have had in the past.”

Piñera had maintained a phone dialog with Boric on the evening of Monday, the final of his life. He wished to assist the president, to whom he introduced proposals to fight the devastating fires which are hitting the central area of the nation.

Bachelet: “The differences did not bother him”

Before Boric, two of the three residing former presidents spoke, the Christian Democrat Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle and the social democrat Michelle Bachelet. “He was an exemplary democrat, who faithfully embodied the republican tradition of those who have historically had the privilege of leading the destiny of our country. And secondly He was a leader for the entire nation“stated Frei, 81, who ruled the nation between 1994 and 2000.

“Destiny wanted that in his two governments they had to deal with three very challenging situations. The earthquake of February 27, 2010, just twelve days before he assumed power; the accident of the miners in the San José mine and the COVID pandemic -19, detailed the Christian Democrat.

Bachelet, who handed over power to Piñera in 2010 and received it from him in 2014, before handing it over again in 2018, followed a similar line: “I need to spotlight one thing that nobody will have the ability to take away from President Piñera, the variations didn’t trouble himtheir liberal coronary heart inspired them”.

“Sebastián Piñera understood the nice moments of rupture. Both within the dictatorship and within the outbreak he selected the institutional answer, of giving energy to residents by means of voting. It is a studying that we can’t neglect, peaceable deliberation is the one strategy to course of our variations,” he added.

Boric, Frei and Bachelet performed, together with the president of the Senate, Juan Antonio Coloma, the last guard of honor at the coffin of the former president.

The other living former president, the social democrat Ricardo Lagos, refused to attend the funeral. He governed between 2000 and 2006, and last week, at age 85, he had announced his retirement from public life.

Tribute to the miners

One of the most emotional moments of the day was the tribute that a large part of the 33 miners rescued in 2010 after remaining trapped for 69 days at a depth of 700 meters.

“Thanks to him we had been rescued. You took us out, president“You fought for us,” stated a consultant of the miners, whereas the remaining posed earlier than the altar with a Chilean flag that learn “thank you, Mr. President.”

Hours earlier than, 4 miners had accomplished a guard of honor earlier than the coffinaccompanied by a fifth man, the son of certainly one of them, who had been in Piñera's arms through the hours of the rescue.

Another emotional second was when he spoke certainly one of Piñera's 14 grandchildren: “A person only truly dies when he is forgotten. Let us be clear that the name of Sebastián Piñera Echenique will be remembered forever, a man who did not know hatred or resentment. The most intelligent man I knew.”

Magdalena Piñera, eldest daughter of the previous president, left a phrase in a political key: “I hope that this tribute serves to may unity and civic friendship resurface in this country”.

Problems for the reasonable proper

The disappearance of Piñera creates an issue for the reasonable center-right. There was rumors that the previous president iI’d attempt to run for a 3rd time period in 2025. His successor is unclearsince he was the pure head of a conglomerate of a number of formations, however Evelyn Matthei, mayor of the Santiago district of Providencia, is identified by many as the one who ought to take the baton.

Matthei, former Minister of Labor below Piñera, was the presidential candidate of the best in 2013, an election that she misplaced within the runoff with Bachelet. Today, at 70 years previous, many level out her potential to work as an asset, however others level out her tendency towards confrontation and her inflexibility.

Analyst Mauricio Morales advised the newspaper The second that Matthei is “clearly” the candidate. “His support bases are similar to those of Piñera, without prejudice to the fact that their stories are different. While Piñera was for the no, Matthei did so for the yes (in the 1988 plebiscite in which the dictator Augusto Pinochet proposed his permanence). in power). In fact, if Matthei wins the presidential election in 2025, she will be the first president to vote yes in 1988.”