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President Sebastian Piñera announced Monday (October 21st) that he will dialogue with the opposition and seek to adopt a " social agreement " to address the problems of the Chileans. This statement comes Monday night as the toll of violence now reaches 12 dead.
With our special correspondent in Santiago, Aude Villiers-Moriamé
A few minutes after the curfew came into effect, set up for the third consecutive night in Santiago, Sebastian Piñera admitted that he had had harsh words this weekend when he said " we are at war against a powerful enemy .
" We are not at war "
These words are very badly passed with the Chileans like Camila, high school student of 18 years: " We are not at war. He is not stupid, Pinera. I think his strategy is to turn against each other. The government no longer uses the word demonstrator. He talks about criminals, vandals. It's a strategy to divide all this movement, but it will not succeed . "
►Also read: After three days of riots, protests continue in Chile
On Monday, October 22, the Chileans once again massively demonstrated in large numbers. Thousands of people gathered in Piazza Italia, in central Santiago, on Monday afternoon. Some demonstrators held placards: " We are not at war " and called on the government to take concrete action against social inequalities in the country.
It was really a social malaise movement that started quite quickly. It was sad to see all this malaise, which in some way was not heard. The response of the state was to make a curfew, establish a state of emergency, remove the police, the military ...
Francisca Miranda, international consultant for the United Nations in Chile on the "fears of the people" 22/10/2019 - by Jelena Tomic Play
Yolanda Balestrelo, a retiree present at Italia Square, expresses her headache over the country's situation: " The government has not been able to respond to the demands of the people who demand less social inequalities, better public health , a better education. Here, everything is privatized. Salaries are very low, 70 % of Chileans earn less than 700 dollars . "
For her part, Francisca Miranda, a social anthropologist and United Nations consultant in Chile, considers society to be deeply divided: " These divisions are the result of a social antagonism that exists in Chile, created by a society that is really very stratified , where there is not much social mix. "
Reforms evoked
On the evening of October 21st, Sebastian Piñera announced that he would adopt a series of reforms to improve the lives of Chileans. He mentioned for example the fall in the price of drugs, without giving more details.
The president has also announced meetings with opposition representatives in the coming days. Ads that do not seem to have appeased the social movement, while the toll of violence escalates to 12 dead. This Tuesday, October 22, new mobilizations are planned in the Chilean capital.