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Chamber of Deputies Approves New Extension of State of Emergency in Southern Macrozone: Measure to Complete One Year in Effect

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On May 17, 2022, President Gabriel Boric signed the administrative act for the first time to decree the initial State of Constitutional Emergency in the Southern Macrozone during his administration, specifically in the La Araucanía region and the provinces of Arauco and Biobío, in response to the recurring acts of violence affecting the area.

Nearly a year later, the Chamber of Deputies approved the twenty-second (22nd) extension of this exceptional measure, which will consequently remain in effect until May 11 of this year, provided the Senate endorses the decision in a session scheduled after 3:00 PM.

Thus, the chamber approved the Executive's request with 118 votes in favor, 20 against, and 6 abstentions.

Representing La Moneda, Interior Minister Carolina Tohá and Defense Minister Maya Fernández attended the session.

Among the interventions by lawmakers—particularly from the opposition—emphasis was placed on the violent incidents in the commune of Panguipulli, where 18 pieces of machinery were destroyed inside a company. According to Carabineros, the incident occurred before 3:00 AM when a group of armed individuals arrived in a pickup truck to set the equipment on fire.

From the ruling coalition, Deputy Gonzalo Winter (CS) called on opposition lawmakers, stating, "If we want to have a rational conversation, there must be some logic—I call for humility here. When the current administration took office, it inherited a state of emergency in La Araucanía that had already been in place for over a year. Therefore, claiming that the government lacks conviction in combating violence because it hasn’t completely resolved the issue in a year—you know that’s not an honest position."

Deputy Joanna Pérez (exDC) highlighted progress in fighting crime—such as approved security projects—but stressed the need to "keep advancing and how important it is for the government to strengthen Carabineros, how we can be more efficient, and how we can expedite vehicle procurement."

Finally, Minister Tohá presented an assessment of the state of emergency, which—according to the Interior Minister—"shows a reduction in all dangerous activities" carried out in the Southern Macrozone. As detailed by the head of Public Security, arson attacks have decreased by 21%, burned properties by 39%, land usurpations by 65%, and homicides by 56%.

However, she reported a recent uptick in arson attacks over the past two weeks. "Just as in the summer, after a seized harvest was confiscated, there was a reaction of violent crimes, these days have also seen one. Could it be a reaction to the delivery of armored trucks a few days ago? That’s something to investigate, but the timing of these simultaneous attacks is certainly no coincidence—it’s telling us something," Tohá stated.

Additionally, the Interior Minister added, "It’s not true that these attacks are going unpunished. Just to share some data, we have 148 individuals charged with timber theft, and over the past year, we’ve secured 229 convictions—the highest rate achieved since the conflict began."

Source:www.latercera.com