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President Gabriel Boric has taken firm action in response to controversial ministerial meetings with lobbyist Pablo Zalaquett, urging transparency and background checks. This Friday, the Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, confirmed the president’s instruction after a call to the ministers involved.
Ministers Jeannette Jara (Labor), Nicolás Grau (Economy), Alberto van Klaveren (Foreign Relations), Maisa Rojas (Environment) and Esteban Valenzuela (Agriculture), together with Minister Tohá herself, were ordered to reassess nature of these meetings and upload the information to the Lobby Law Platform.
According to Tohá, the president requested a thorough review of how the meetings were conducted, recognizing the importance of addressing concerns and controversies that have arisen around this issue. Although the minister reiterated that, in her opinion, the Lobbying Law was not violated in these meetings, she highlighted the need to carry out this exercise to clarify and respond to the attention generated.
President Boric, upset by the handling of the issue that has become a challenge for his administration, personally contacted ministers on Thursday. The order included the review of the possible registration of meetings under the Lobby Law and the prompt response to the Comptroller General of the Republic with the requested information.
The minister spokesperson for La Moneda, Camila Vallejo, supported the president’s decision, highlighting that the meetings were work agendas and presentations of different tones. Vallejo also stressed that the ministers are aware of the nature of these meetings, having previously communicated it.
Last week, the Minister of Justice, Luis Cordero, worked together with teams from the Ministry of the Interior and the legal division of Segpres to evaluate political and legal strategies. The government’s position changed after ministers provided more information, confusing the initial line of discourse.
President Boric has expressed his frustration with the way in which the information was released “drip”, generating a change in his position and the need to reevaluate the background. In addition, he asked the ministers for transparency in the registration of attendees at the meetings with Zalaquett, something that until now he has refused to do with various excuses.
At La Moneda, they coordinated a communications outlet to address the situation, even considering the possibility of the president making a public call to the ministers during an official event. The controversy continues, and the administration seeks to restore trust through transparency and careful review of the facts.
