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Former Southern Macrozone Coordinator Calls for Strengthening Security Measures During Elections

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Pablo Urquizar says there is a high risk of violent actions. Former officials agree that citizens and candidates are defenseless against potential attacks by terrorist groups during this weekend's elections.

A warning call to authorities about the need to reinforce protective measures during the electoral process, following the unprecedented armed attack in Ercilla against the mayor and reelection candidate—an incident that left three people shot—was made by the former government security coordinator, Pablo Urquizar.

In the professional's view, the current scenario facing the country poses a high risk of actions against authorities and state institutions. "When the state is contradictory, confused, inefficient, and ambiguous, it becomes fertile ground for terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime," he emphasizes.

He adds that "strategies to address an electoral process must necessarily include security measures, ensuring that people can vote without suffering harm and that their fundamental right to safety in all aspects of their lives is upheld."

Regarding the escalation of violence in the southern macrozone, Urquizar stresses that "the reality, in the case of the southern macrozone, is that violent incidents persist. In this context, preventive strategies must be developed to address terrorism, drug trafficking, and organized crime, recognizing that the situation cannot be analyzed under normal circumstances."

Former political officials from the area, who oversaw security deployments in various elections, agree that "the traditional tactics have always been blockades and road closures aimed at preventing citizens from traveling to vote."

The former intendant of La Araucanía, now a deputy for Amarillos por Chile, Andrés Jouannet, asserts that "citizens are defenseless due to the actions of terrorist groups, and this includes authorities and candidates for elected positions."

On the possibility of implementing security measures for candidates in high-risk areas, Jouannet warns that "we must remember that today we have a national deficit of 35,000 carabineros, equivalent to 40% of the force," arguing that "with this deficit, it is impossible to guarantee security for the country or provide special measures for candidates."

For former Cautín governor Richard Caifal, "although violence had manifested in other electoral processes, it had never had this connotation and impact, because many lives were put at risk due to the use of firearms and serious injuries."

According to Gloria Naveillán, deputy and president of the Chamber's Public Security Commission, the risks of attacks against authorities "must absolutely be a topic of debate" and she anticipates raising it in the commission.

The deputy adds that "there is not only a risk for authorities in the southern macrozone but also in the northern macrozone and many communes in the Metropolitan Region due to the actions of organized crime."

Source: Subscription edition ofEl Mercurio