Le rapport de la commission mixte sur la compensation des municipalités dans la mégarreforme sera voté le 4 août au Sénat

Senator Rodolfo Carter, an independent Republican, has criticized the postponement of Chile's major constitutional reform as a "shame," stating that the government relied on itself rather than opposition support. The delay occurred after the Senate, upon request from the executive branch, had to push back the vote on the mixed committee’s report regarding the megareform due to insufficient votes from the ruling coalition. Speaking with Radio Agricultura, Carter described the situation as clearly a mistake that was avoidable. He emphasized that the government should have been self-reliant, noting that the opposition had already made its stance clear. Carter pointed out that there were mix-ups within the ruling coalition, including a senator from the Biobío region who was incorrectly informed they had all the necessary votes. This led to an unusual situation where the senator was ready to proceed despite the uncertainty. Additionally, he mentioned internal issues within the UDI party that remain unexplained. Carter expressed surprise over Senator Gustavo Sanhueza's actions, describing him as responsible and diligent, which makes his involvement in the confusion unexpected. President José Antonio Kast met with leaders of the ruling parties following the setback in the Senate concerning the megareform and climate emergency. At the end of the day, Kast held discussions with Interior Minister Claudio Alvarado and Secretariat of Government head José García Ruminot alongside senators Arturo Squella (Republican Party), Andrea Balladares (Renewal National), and Luciano Cruz-Coke (Evópoli), along with deputy Guillermo Ramírez (UDI). This meeting marked the second coordination session since the last official coalition crisis erupted in mid-June. The first such meeting took place earlier this month. The current context is challenging for the ruling bloc, especially after Senator Gustavo Sanhueza (UDI) voted against the last pending article of the megareform, aimed at establishing compensation mechanisms for municipalities facing reduced revenue from contributions. Compounding this issue, Senator Enrique Van Rysselberghe (also from UDI) had to travel to the Biobío region for personal reasons, while senators from the Coquimbo region, Sergio Gahona (UDI) and Matías Walker (Evópoli), demanded additional resources for areas affected by recent weather conditions, ideally through an additive veto in the same megareform. These circumstances forced ministers Jorge Quiroz (Finance), Claudio Alvarado (Interior), and José García (Secretariat of Government) to request the postponement of the megareform vote until August. The main challenge for the executive is that the proposal from the mixed committee likely lacks the 26 necessary votes for approval, making it difficult to convince Sanhueza. Preventing such miscoordination is the goal of these meetings in La Moneda, initiated a month ago after Senator Balladares insisted on respect for her faction by the Republican Party, following remarks by Agustín Romero, a member of that party, who questioned Renewal National deputies who announced their rejection of the constitutional accusation against Nicolás Grau (FA). In the run-up to the meeting, Senator Balladares stated she hoped the sessions would provide a thorough evaluation of the country's current state and strengthen political coordination ahead of upcoming challenges. She emphasized the importance of maintaining these instances for continuous dialogue, noting that persistent political communication helps make decisions more proactively and avoids unnecessary misalignments. The mixed committee's report on municipal compensation under the megareform will be voted on in the Senate on August 4, following an agreement among the Senate committees. This date was set for the upcoming Tuesday and Wednesday of August. Among other matters, it was decided that the vote on the mixed committee's report determining the mechanism for compensating municipalities for the exemption of contributions will take place. The new article proposes covering the loss in income through direct transfers to municipalities via the Treasury General of the Republic (TGR), aiming to reach a proportionate amount to what they would not receive from contributions. Originally, the National Reconstruction project was expected to be approved this week after being passed by the mixed committee and subsequently approved by the Chamber of Deputies. However, due to disorder within the ruling coalition, the UDI committee requested a postponement, realizing the article would be rejected at that moment. Doubts among senators like Gustavo Sanhueza (UDI) and Rojo Edwards (Independent), demands from Matías Walker (Independent) and Sergio Gahona (UDI) regarding reconstruction in Coquimbo, and the absence of Enrique van Rysselberghe (UDI) weakened the majority held by the ruling coalition in the Senate even further. Moreover, the opposition anticipated rejecting the proposal collectively. Accordingly, the Senate table detailed that the report would be voted on by the full chamber on August 4 during an ordinary session between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. If finally approved, the government's megareform under President José Antonio Kast would be dispatched from the National Congress. Nevertheless, this would not mark the end of its process, as it still requires voting in the Congress on presidential vetoes that the executive will exercise over certain articles, such as the one related to the elimination of anatocism, the charging of interest on interest. Additionally, the Constitutional Court (TC) must determine the sections challenged by the opposition, particularly those concerning tax invariability and compensations linked to the nullification of the RCA for investment projects.