The senator’s statements in defense of his father, convicted of sexually abusing minors, raised countless questions, leading him to resign as president of the center-right party.
Senator Javier Macaya resigns from the presidency Independent Democratic Union (UDI)she received questions from various political sectors as a result of questioning the evidence against her father, Eduardo Macaya, who was sentenced to 6 years in prison for sexual abuse of minors. This milestone generated various effects. While the UDI has found a new president, there are those who are demanding the suspension of the senator’s militancy.
“It was recorded without his consent, recorded with evidence and recorded with a video which is heavily edited. I believe it is important to be very careful in separating the situation in a way that the person has the right to defend himself without any privilege but at the same time without any prejudice to the issue at hand,” the MP said.
These statements meant endless criticism, not only from the ruling party, but also from sectors not belonging to their political alliance. Even the UDI presidential candidate, Mayor Evelyn Matthei, addressed Macaya’s statements and took a stance against him. She also demonstrated outside the UDI headquarters in Providencia.
Likewise, this Tuesday it was revealed that his father, Eduardo Macaya, would have been “treated differently” during his brief stay in the Rancagua prison, where he had to serve the sentence of preventive detention ordered against him.
All these events led Javier Macaya to resign as president of the UDI, despite having said that he would not do so but that he had made a “mistake”.
Consequences of “Without Your Consent”
Following Senator Macaya’s statements, in defense of his father, President Gabriel Boric said that “when we don’t separate roles and justify, or question the decisions of justice, I think that damages the institutions.”
Along the same lines, the Minister of Women and Gender Equality, Antonia Orellana, pointed out that “a minor is being attacked because he is not part of a blood family, or for saying that a video was edited, because he had access to the record.”
Meanwhile, from the right they continue to do damage control in the face of this milestone. Through various statements they have specified that Chile Vamos validates “the protection of the rights of boys, girls and adolescents.” In fact, according to sources from La Radio, it was only when this controversy escalated and crossed the line between family and political and affected Matthei’s campaign that the decision was made to make Macaya’s resignation effective.
The mayor of Providencia applauded the decision and commented that “there is no room for any other type of defense than that of the victims. I greatly value the gesture of Javier Macaya. “Here is a problem that affects a family very strongly, but it does not have to affect an entire institution.”
“Suspension of Senator Javier Macaya for militancy”
Despite his resignation from the post of UDI President, questions continued to be raised against the senator from some sectors of the ruling party.
The president of the PPD, Senator Jaime Quinta, applauded the senator’s decision, arguing that “it seems to us that it is a decision that contributes to undermining the notion, established in public opinion, that there can be first and second class justice here.”
However, representative Erica Sanco (FA) took a more hawkish stance, pointing out that the right “has a long history of defending sexual abusers. They should at least take concrete actions, like suspending the militancy of senator Javier Macaya.”
On the other hand, after the resignation of the UDI presidency, the political party determined that the deputy Guillermo Ramírez would retain the position.
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