They formalized their support for the Republican candidate, arguing that the primary goal is to \u00abrecover the country\u00bb.<\/em><\/p>\nOn Monday, December 1, the Democrats and Yellow parties officially declared their support for Jos\u00e9 Kast\u2019s candidacy in the second round. This announcement comes after failing to meet the legal minimums necessary to ensure their survival in the November 16 elections. Led by Senator Ximena Rinc\u00f3n, the party leadership met with the Republican, stating that the decision prioritizes the urgent need to advance the country above ideological differences, according to their perspective.<\/p>\n
The decision to support Kast occurs in a critical context, as Democrats was one of the 13 political parties that did not reach the 5% threshold of votes in the deputy elections nor secure the four parliamentarians in two regions. These results obligate the forced dissolution of the party, leaving its members to decide whether to join another political party or disappear from the political landscape altogether.<\/p>\n
Senator Ximena Rinc\u00f3n defended their support, arguing that in the current scenario: \u00abIt\u2019s not about left or right; it\u2019s about Chile,\u00bb adding that the public chose a path that rejects the continuation of the current government. She emphasized that during the meeting with Kast, there were significant \u00abprogrammatic coincidences\u00bb on issues such as security, health, and the prison system.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s worth noting that in 2022, Senator Rinc\u00f3n \u2014who was then a member of the DC party\u2014 was confronted by Paulina Vodanovic \u2014from the PS party\u2014 during a constitutional debate. Vodanovic challenged her, saying: \u00abLet\u2019s do it well until the right likes it,\u00bb to which Rinc\u00f3n emphatically responded: \u00abI am not from the right, Paulina! You insist on putting me in that group.\u00bb However, her formal endorsement of the Republican candidate, regarded as far-right, intensifies the debate over the true political positioning of the party.<\/p>\n
After receiving the support, Jos\u00e9 Kast expressed his gratitude for the endorsement and explicitly welcomed the inclusion of Democrats, Yellow supporters, and other sectors into his potential government. The candidate stated: \u201cThis will be a government not of the Republicans, but by the Republicans and for the Republicans,\u201d he asserted.<\/p>\n
For the Democrats, having failed to secure independence, the party\u2019s future is now tied to the success of the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n