The independent deputy Carlos Bianchi has announced his intention to present a constitutional reform that would put an end to the lifetime pension that former presidents of the Republic in Chile currently receive. The main objective of this initiative is to prevent the current President, Gabriel Boric, who would leave office at the age of 40, from receiving this pension.
Bianchi explained that his proposal seeks to allow former presidents to opt for a special pension, but only once they reach 65 years of age, not at the end of their term.
The initiative of the former senator is supported by his committee colleagues Héctor Ulloa and Jaime Araya.
“It seems absolutely unacceptable to us that someone who, at the age of 40, becomes former President of the Republic receives a lifetime pension of almost, or more, 16 million pesos per month,” said the deputy.
The constitutional reform proposed by Bianchi would establish that both current and future former presidents would have to apply for this pension, instead of receiving it automatically upon leaving office. In addition, former presidents would be required to be at least 65 years of age to be able to access this pension, thus aligning with the usual retirement ages in the country.
The parliamentarian called on President Boric to support this bill or present a similar one.
Currently, according to article 30 of the Political Constitution of Chile, former presidents receive as a pension the equivalent of a parliamentary diet, in addition to travel and office operating expenses.
In January 2024, the diet of former presidents Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Ricardo Lagos, Michelle Bachelet and Sebastián Piñera was 7.3 million pesos, which has generated criticism and debate about the need to reform these pensions to guarantee a more equitable distribution of public resources.
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