Chilean mayors call for long-term political agreements, propose reforms

Chilean mayors Jaime Bellolio and Tomás Vodanovic, from opposing political sides, are urging a return to "the politics of agreements" to tackle long-standing national challenges. They argue that the country's focus on short-term political gains hinders progress on crucial issues that neither political sector can solve alone.

In a joint letter titled "Chile at Thirty Years: An Invitation from Two Different Sides," the mayors of Providencia and Maipú contend that a short-sighted political horizon turns governance into a "zero-sum game." They observe that "a society grows when elders plant trees whose shade they know they will not sit in," contrasting this with politicians who "sow for the next headline."

"Chile does not have a problem with convictions, but with horizon," they stated, drawing from their daily experiences as municipal leaders. They highlighted the consequences of a state that fails to anticipate, coordinate, or sustain policies over time. Governing, they found, forces a move away from "the comfort of politics made only from theory" towards implementing ideas with real-world constraints on resources and timelines, measuring success by results rather than media impact.

To foster this long-term perspective, Bellolio and Vodanovic outlined seven proposed reforms. These include overhauling the political system to reduce fragmentation and create stable majorities, modernizing public employment, and updating the civil service. They believe these measures are essential to move beyond the cycle of "restarting the country every four years."