Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde supported President Gabriel Boric's criticisms of president-elect José Antonio Kast, urging political debate to rely on verifiable facts rather than lies or fake news. This comes in response to Kast's accusations regarding the outgoing government's fiscal situation and other policies. Elizalde stressed the importance of truth for democracy, citing official data on poverty.
On Friday, President Gabriel Boric responded to criticisms from president-elect José Antonio Kast in an interview on Súbela Radio. Boric accused Kast of judging his administration "based on lies", especially after Kast's remarks at a meeting with entrepreneurs at Icare the previous day. There, Kast questioned the fiscal legacy left by the outgoing government and criticized Boric's handling of the US operation in Venezuela.
At a press point following the launch of the Programa Escuelas Abiertas de Verano 2026, Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde backed the president. "We believe that political debate must be conducted with a high level of vision, and therefore, based on verifiable facts", Elizalde stated. He reinforced his stance by noting that during the campaign, it was repeatedly claimed that poverty had increased, but official Casen survey data showed a significant decrease in recent years.
Elizalde emphasized: "Truth is fundamental to democracy. [...] Our call is simply for this debate to take place with truthful, verifiable, official information". He added that "just as freedom of expression is inherent to democracy, truth is also essential so that debate occurs based on facts, and not on fake news or eventual falsehoods".
According to the minister, democratic debate is enriched when based on facts, within a framework of respect and democracy. The government has been consistent in this approach, he stressed.
