Piñera has apologized and announced social improvements, but for now this will not remove the state of siege

The Chilean President, Sebastián Piñera, announced Tuesday the creation of a "social agenda" including, among other measures, the increase of the minimum wage, following the demonstrations that began last week following the rise the price of the metro ticket. .

At a press conference, the Chilean president announced the creation of a guaranteed minimum income, especially 350,000 pesos (433 euros), as well as higher taxes for higher-income sectors. and the creation of a stabilization mechanism reversing rising incomes. 9.2% on electricity rates.

Similarly, Piñera apologized to the Chileans for their failure to "recognize the situation of inequality and abuse".

Chile experienced a fifth consecutive day of chaos on Tuesday, with long battles between security forces and protesters, looting of shops and massive protests, forcing the government to develop a program of "social change." "to put an end to a social explosion that has left fifteen dead, hundreds wounded and more than a thousand inmates.

The panorama of violence and repression has been restored in downtown Santiago and other cities in the interior of the country, such as Concepción and Valparaíso, in the midst of the militarization of public spaces unpublished since the dictatorship Augustus. Pinochet

Piñera on Tuesday received at the seat of the government the leaders of the political parties of the ruling alliance and the opposition to analyze the measures to train the demonstrators, who demand improvements in health services, the 39, education and income distribution.

The leaders of the Party for Democracy (PPD), Radical (PR) and Democrat-Christian (PDC) met Piñera this afternoon at the La Moneda Palace with a list of orders, which also requires answers on the 15 deaths already counted. the revolt.

The head of state has heard demands to get the army out of the streets and put an end to the exception state declared amidst the social outburst.

At the end of this meeting, the Minister of the Interior, Andrés Chadwick, quoted by La Tercera, announced that Piñera "will soon" publish a "proposal of social agenda to move the country forward. ".

But the secretary general of the presidency, Gonzalo Blumel, has made it clear that "it is unreal to wait for a definitive answer, but to give a first kick" to start coming out of the crisis.

He said that "we all aspire to an agenda of unity, social change for a country where everyone has more equal opportunities and security" has been studied.

Several left-wing and center-left organizations have preferred not to attend the meeting convened by the President in a speech in favor of the reduction of drug prices and the implementation of measures aimed at improve health and education systems. .

Meanwhile, a central corner of Santiago on Tuesday was the real battlefield where protesters and security forces clashed for more than two hours.

The riots erupted at one of the ends of the iconic Plaza Italia, scene of historical mobilizations in Santiago, where thousands of people rallied to express their protests.

Although the majority of protesters remained peaceful, groups of people were seen running to escape the clouds of smoke from the tear gas canisters fired by security agents, who were acting in a protected manner. behind several armored tanks.

Groups of protesters challenged the use of force and confronted the police with stones or simply raised their arms in front of the tanks, which were sometimes surrounded by two groups of demonstrators.

Official balance

According to the latest official report, 15 people died in the five days following the social episode, 11 were burned in the middle of vandalism or looting and the other four due to repression by the armed forces or security.

Three of those killed by the crackdown were hit by bullets fired by security guards and another by a navy truck in Talcahuano, a town near Concepción, about 500 km south of the capital, reported the agency EFE.

The riots also left hundreds of injured (at least 88 bullets) and 2,643 detainees.

The wave of violence led the government to first declare the state of emergency throughout the country, then the curfew in several cities, in a context in which Piñera ended up saying that Chile was "at war with a powerful and implacable enemy" whose origin and objectives it has not identified.