Senator Javier Macaya Under pressure to defend his father he decided to resign as president of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI). Eduardo MacayaConvicted of sexual abuse of minors.
“Faced with a sentence that affects a member of my family, I reiterate my deep respect for the rule of law, the decisions of justice and express my strong commitment to the rights of the minors involved in the said situation. The country faces enormous challenges; very serious problems affecting millions of Chileans that need to be urgently corrected. UDI plays a vital role in addressing these challenges, to which it must dedicate itself fully. Therefore and for the sake of my political commitment, I have decided to resign as president of the Independent Democratic Union. I will never allow a family situation, no matter how painful, involving minors and the like, to affect the performance of my party. and the importance of his responsibility to Chile,” he expressed in a statement released this afternoon.
There was also increased pressure on the head of the union to step aside from the ruling party and Chile Vamos.
When asked about the issue on CNN Chile radio, Marcela Cubillos explained that the UDI helmsman had to choose between defending his father or his work in politics. “You can’t divide yourself when there is a sentence,” said Chilean Vamos, a mayoral candidate for Las Condes and a former union activist.
The Mayor of Providencia, Evelyn MattheiMeanwhile, the party’s virtual candidate for La Moneda also referred to the issue, saying that in this type of case “The only thing left to do is to be with the victims”,
Hours before resigning, the senator was criticized in Congress for the way he publicly expressed his support for his father in an interview Sunday on the Mesa Central program on Channel 13.
,Obviously, as a son, I’m on my father’s side.” He mentioned that in that interview.
Eduardo Macaya Zentili was sentenced on Friday Effective imprisonment for six years His preventive detention was ordered by the Oral Criminal Court of San Fernando and due to flight risk. The Rancagua Court of Appeals replaced that precautionary measure with his absolute house arrest, a measure he has been observing since July 15, 2023.
The Public Ministry and both the defence and plaintiff parties have 10 days from the notice of sentence to appeal for the cancellation of the trial.