The times Kast demanded Boric suspend tours during emergencies

Chile's president, José Antonio Kast, is set to embark on his first official trip to Peru as head of state later today, attending the country’s presidential transition ceremony marking the arrival of Keiko Fujimori. The journey comes amid severe weather conditions affecting Chile, with over 13,557 people affected and 41,084 remaining isolated due to heavy rainfall. An alert has been issued for six communes in Ñuble due to river overflow risks, prompting school closures in the area. This trip contrasts sharply with Kast’s previous criticisms of former President Gabriel Boric during similar emergencies. In June 2024, Kast was among the strongest voices condemning Boric for being abroad in Europe while seven regions were under a state of catastrophe. He argued that the president should have returned to Chile during such crises. Similarly, in June 2023, Kast criticized Boric for traveling to Antarctica during a period of intense rainstorms in Chile, calling the trip more of a whim than a responsible act of governance. Eventually, Boric canceled that trip following the criticism. Kast’s current trip to Peru is framed as a specific diplomatic engagement related to the change of government, scheduled to conclude this Tuesday. His itinerary includes landing in Copiapó, Atacama, and visiting Coquimbo tomorrow. Despite these plans, the absence of the president during the ongoing emergency has drawn criticism from opposition figures. Nathalie Castillo, a member of the Communist Party, stated she would have preferred the president remain in Chile to monitor the situation and provide concrete solutions. She emphasized the need for the government to release the constitutional 2 percent budget for emergencies, contingency planning, and reconstruction, urging the president to take the crisis seriously and act as a head of state. Francisco Crisóstomo, representing the Socialist Party, warned against the president starting an international tour without first visiting Ñuble, one of the hardest-hit areas by the current weather system. He highlighted the damage to infrastructure, disrupted roads, overflowing rivers, and canal breaches, stressing the expectation of clear signals and effective government presence in the region. Crisóstomo called for a minister to immediately travel to Ñuble to assess the damage and accelerate solutions, adding the urgency of declaring an agricultural emergency for the region. In defense of the trip, officials within the ruling party argue that Peru is a strategic partner too important to ignore during its leadership transition. They noted that the government has robust teams managing the emergency and technological resources allowing real-time monitoring worldwide, especially crucial for making important decisions. Today, Kast held a coordination meeting with regional delegates to monitor the effects of the adverse weather conditions. The debate over the appropriateness of the president’s travel continues, reflecting broader discussions about leadership responsibilities during national crises.