Chile’s president offers measures to quell violent street protests before Apec summit in Santiago
- Protests that started over a hike in public transport costs have escalated with wide-ranging demands and spread nationwide
- Santiago is set to host China’s President Xi Jinping and other Apec leaders in less than a month
Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera announced a package of social measures Tuesday aimed at stemming days of protests over economic inequality that have swept the country and claimed 15 lives.
Apologising to the nation for failing to anticipate the outbreak of social unrest, Pinera said his government had “received with humility and clarity the message Chileans have given us”.
The leader vowed to increase the universal basic pension by 20 per cent, cancel a recent 9.2 per cent increase in electricity bills and propose a law that would see the state cover the costs of expensive medical treatment.
The president asked for forgiveness for successive governments on both left and right that failed to act sooner to stem deep inequalities in Latin America´s fifth-largest economy.
“It is true that problems accumulated for many decades and that different governments were not able to recognise this situation in all its magnitude,” Pinera, a billionaire and former airline owner, said in an address from the presidential palace in Santiago.
“I recognise and apologise for this lack of vision.”
