The opposition quickly interpreted the appointment of Diego Vela as a sign of “cronyism” on the part of the Chilean president.

Former President of the Democratic Revolution Party, Diego Vela, was appointed by the Government to join the team representing Chile at the OECD.

After leaving his position as director of the Internal Revenue Service, Hernán Frigolett was appointed last July as permanent representative to said organization, and assumed his duties on August 16.

In the opposition, Vela's appointment was quickly interpreted as a sign of "cronyism" by President Gabriel Boric. This, after Vela ceased his functions as helmsman of RD following the unification of the Frente Amplio.

Republican Representative Stephan Schubert, of the Foreign Relations Committee, said that the appointment was “not surprising” because the president's “friends” “are always the best people for the job abroad.”

The Green Party deputy, Félix González, from the same legislative body, said that “the appointment is not understood”, since “degrees and postgraduate studies are not enough”, but rather “experience in international trade and diplomacy” is required.

For this reason, the parliamentarian announced that he will request that the Minister of Finance, Mario Marcel, be summoned to the Foreign Relations Committee of the Chamber of Deputies.

Asked about this, the Government spokesperson, Camila Vallejo, said that "the standards" required for the formation of the Frigolett team in the organization have been met.

Inevitably, this appointment brought to mind the case of Javier Velasco, appointed as Chilean ambassador to Spain, despite having no diplomatic experience.