Bachelet supports declaration for democracy on anniversary of coup
Santiago de Chile, Sept 4 (EFE).- CChilean President Gabriel Bolíc met with his predecessor Michelle Bachelet on Monday to present her with the Declaration of Commitment to Democracy that he wants the different political forces to sign on the coup’s 50th anniversary.
“I would not understand that someone could reject an agreement, which seeks to unite us, not separate us,” said the former president, Michelle Bachelet, at a press conference after the meeting.
“I leave happy with my copy, which I hope to sign once it is decided,” she added.
Boric announced last July his intention to promote a joint declaration.
However, a week before the commemoration of the democratic rupture, the traditional right wing party Chile Vamos and the ultra-right Republican Party rejected any agreement.
On Monday, the president of the conservative Independent Democratic Union (UDI), Senator Javier Macaya, reiterated his refusal to be part of the declaration.
The commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the coup has been a source of great polarization and tension in Chile.
Last week, Boric also met with former president Sebastián Piñera, who mentioned his intentions to support the declaration.
September 11 marks the 50th anniversary of the coup led by General Augusto Pinochet against the government of Socialist President Salvador Allende.
The coup ushered in a brutal 17-year dictatorship that left more than 40,000 victims, including at least 3,200 opponents murdered, 1,469 of whom were victims of enforced disappearance. EFE
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