Chile's Supreme Court will elect its new president on Monday amid internal divisions and scandals like the Audio case and the Belarusian plot, which have eroded public trust in the judiciary. Tradition favors Gloria Ana Chevesich, but a group is pushing for María Angélica Repetto to break that practice. The election coincides with the vote on a constitutional accusation against Minister Diego Simpertegui.
Chile's Supreme Court is going through one of its most critical moments, with scandals damaging its image. Since 2023, the Audio case exposed a network of undue influences around lawyer Luis Hermosilla, involving judges like former minister Ángela Vivanco, dismissed by the plenary. Now, the Belarusian plot implicates Vivanco again and Minister Diego Simpertegui, against whom a constitutional accusation will be voted on this Monday in the Chamber of Deputies.
Minister María Soledad Melo described last year as 'the worst the judiciary has had.' Outgoing President Ricardo Blanco stated in March that the court had emerged strengthened, but new developments in the Belarusian plot question that claim. A CEP survey from September-October shows only 16% of citizens trust the courts.
On Monday, the plenary will elect the president for the next two years. By tradition, it corresponds to the most senior minister, Gloria Ana Chevesich, but a dissatisfied sector with the handling of investigations is pushing for María Angélica Repetto, 72, from Valparaíso. Repetto, appointed in 2019, has kept a low profile and voted against removing former Minister Antonio Ulloa, unlike Chevesich. Judicial sources indicate divisions, with 'factions' in the plenary, and mention Simpertegui as a promoter of Repetto's candidacy.
Simpertegui's defense, led by lawyer Felipe Lizama, requested the nullity of the reviewing commission of the accusation, headed by Deputy Maite Orsini, alleging flaws like voting without knowing defense evidence. Meanwhile, Puente Alto's conservator Sergio Yáber, suspended and charged in the Belarusian plot for money laundering, faces difficulties in finding an interim after Jorge Osnovicoff's resignation.
The new president must prioritize probity, independence, and reforms to the judge appointment system, which fosters political lobbies. The Court proposes changes, and the President sent a constitutional project for a Judicial Appointments Council, though without consensus. Without these measures, the crisis will persist.
