The Chilean government pushed for immediate debate on the universal daycare bill this Tuesday, following president-elect José Antonio Kast's support for early childhood education and President Gabriel Boric's direct invitation. The move aims to speed up approval of an initiative facing resistance from the ruling coalition and technical doubts from the opposition. This comes amid growing rapprochement between the executive and the incoming administration.
During the inaugural ceremony of Congreso Futuro on Monday, president-elect José Antonio Kast questioned the priority of higher education financing and called to focus on early childhood education. “Isn't the daycare issue more important? Isn't early childhood education more important? Isn't the first basic cycle more important?”, the Republican stated.
In response, President Gabriel Boric took the 'best possible version' of Kast's arguments and invited him to approve the bill: “I will take the best possible version of one of the arguments made by president-elect José Antonio Kast, and I invite him to approve the daycare project”. Government spokesperson Camila Vallejo highlighted Kast's 'change of tone' during Monday's briefing: “It seems to us a good sign that he mentioned the importance of having the right to daycare in our country”.
On Tuesday, the government added the support of the Minister of Women, Antonia Orellana, the bill's promoter, and declared immediate discussion urgency in Congress. The initiative, aiming to guarantee daycares for working mothers, has faced hurdles: in February 2024, ruling coalition senators voted against it, despite later corrections. Republicans voice technical doubts over its impact on employment and SMEs.
The backdrop includes a scheduled meeting this Thursday, January 15, at 8:00 a.m. at La Moneda between Boric and Kast, following a prior encounter on December 15 where they agreed to discuss legislative pendings. This urgency contrasts with recent accusations of 'freezing' talks by the opposition.
