A deputy from the Chilean opposition punches the vice president of the Chilean Congress

MADRID, 31 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The independent Chilean deputy Gonzalo de la Carrera and member of the Republican Party committee has punched on Tuesday the deputy of the Radical Social Democratic Party and vice president of the Lower House, Alexis Sepúlveda, who had to be treated in the infirmary of the National Congress.

The events took place during a special commission in which the situation facing Chile in relation to international crime gangs was being analyzed and in which the Minister of the Interior, Izkia Siches, was participating, according to 'La Tercera'.

De la Carrera has sponsored Siches who, after the constitutional plebiscite that will take place this Sunday, will abandon the Interior portfolio, assuming that they were going to change it in an upcoming cabinet reshuffle due to a bad result.

The intervention caused annoyance in the opposition, from where they asked to sanction the deputy for his angry statements. Once the session in the room was over, the independent approached the table of the Presidency of Congress to claim for the reprimand, according to the aforementioned newspaper.

After this, De la Carrera called another independent parliamentarian, Marcela Riquelme, "stupid", who also intended to speak to the Presidency of the Lower House. Then, the vice president of Congress asked him to calm down and that was when De la Carrera punched him.

"Deputy De la Carrera crosses our path and (...) says 'there are stupid people who are late and attract attention', obviously referring to me. And I told him 'hey, what's wrong with you, why are you treating me? stupid'. He continued insulting me and I asked deputy Raúl Soto (president of the Chamber) to certify the fact that they had witnessed these insults," Riquelme said in statements collected by 'La Tercera'.

Shortly after, the vice president approaches De la Carrera and asks him to calm down, to which the legislator responded by punching him in the eye, as well as kicking him.

After these events, the Republican Party has confirmed the expulsion of De la Carrera's deputy from the bench, according to 'Bio Bio Chile'.

"These types of actions are unacceptable, and as a Republican Party caucus we have decided to expel the independent deputy, Gonzalo de la Carrera," declared the head of the Republican caucus, Cristóbal Urruticoechea.

However, the Socialist Party, in the voice of deputy Juan Santana, has announced the official entry of a reform to remove De la Carrera from his functions.

"We are going to present a constitutional reform to incorporate the cessation of office in the case of parliamentarians in situations of physical aggression, such as the ones we have experienced today before the deputy de la Carrera," Santana said.