MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Tribute to Piñera scheduled for Tuesday in Santiago

According to Chilean media, Lacalle will be the only sitting president to attend Piñera's tribute

Uruguayan President Luis Lacalle Pou left for Santiago late Monday to participate in a tribute at the Universidad del Desarrollo's auditorium organized by the Grupo Libertad y Democracia to late Chilean president Sebastián Piñera (2010-2014 and 2018-2022). Piñera died in February in a helicopter accident while piloting the aircraft.

Also attending the event will be former Presidents Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle (Chile), Mauricio Macri (Argentina), Ivan Duque (Colombia), Mario Abdo Benítez (Paraguay), Guillermo Lasso (Ecuador), and Jorge Quiroga (Bolivia), as well as the Venezuelan Juan Guaidó who claimed to have headed an opposition government to that of Nicolás Maduro sanctioned by the Legislative Assembly but which faded away into oblivion as it lost legitimacy over time.

In addition, video-recorded messages from former Uruguayan President José Pepe Mujica, former Prime Ministers Mariano Rajoy (Spain) and David Cameron (United Kingdom, also the current Foreign Secretary), and Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, who had spoken with Piñera on the day of his death, are to be played, it was announced.

Before the event, attendees will have lunch with former Chilean First Lady Cecilia Morel, Piñera's widow.

According to the group's website, “the international event is expected to be a meeting of deep reflection on the legacy of former President Piñera, highlighting his contribution to the development and strengthening of democracy in Chile and the region. It will also address relevant issues for the future of Latin America, in an electorally relevant year for several countries in the continent, including Chile.”

Lacalle, the only sitting head of state participating in the tribute, is also scheduled to meet with his local colleague Gabriel Boric Font, who succeeded Piñera in 2022. According to local media, Boric will not be present at the tribute but his administration will be represented by Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren. Leaders of other Chilean political forces are also expected to attend.

The Libertad y Democracia Group was founded in Chile in 2023 by a group of former rightwing South American heads of state, Piñera included.