Goodbye to a “pilot of democracy”: dismay in America and Europe over the death of Piñera

Presidents, former presidents and other American and European leaders, as well as the OAS and the European Union, mourned this Tuesday, February 6, the death of the former Chilean head of state Sebastián Piñera, of whom they recalled his deep commitment to Chile and the Latin American region.

Piñera died this Tuesday in the accident of a helicopter, which he himself was piloting, in Lago Ranco, in the Los Ríos region, southern Chile, as confirmed by the Government and the former president's office. The other three passengers were injured in the incident.

The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, spoke on national television to mourn the death of the businessman and conservative politician. In addition, he announced three days of national mourning at a time when the country is already on its second official day of mourning for the deadly fires that devastated the Valparaíso region.

Boric presented his condolences to Piñera's family and announced that the former president will be fired with the honors of the state funeral. He also recognized that Piñera, throughout his two terms as president (2010-2014 and 2018-2022), “contributed from his vision to building great agreements for the country” and faced great challenges such as reconstruction after the earthquake in 2010 or the Covid-19 pandemic.

The presidents and former heads of state of Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Bolivia and other Latin American nations successively reacted to the unexpected death of Piñera, praising the right-wing politician.

He President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said he was “surprised and sad” at such an abrupt “death.”” and conveyed his “feelings” of regret to Piñera's family and friends. The two politicians coincided in power for a few months and were able to work hand in hand despite their ideological differences, recalls the leftist president.

“We interact, we work to strengthen the relationship between our countries and we always had a good dialogue when we were both presidents, and also when we were not. It is very sad that he passed away so abruptly,” he posted on X.

The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, also mourned the death of Piñera and published a photo of him accompanied by the politician.

The ruler of Argentina, the far-right Javier Milei, regretted the death. “On behalf of the Argentine State, we send our condolences to his family, friends and all the Chilean people,” said the message from the Office of the Presidency.

For her part, former Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner recalled the respectful relationship they had despite their ideological differences.

“As everyone knows, we did not have the same ideas, but we were always united by a relationship of great respect: He was a right-wing man, but deeply democratic. I fondly remember his sense of humor and the warmth of his family, whom I met in Chile,” said Fernández de Kirchner.

Former right-wing Colombian heads of state Iván Duque and Álvaro Uribe also reacted to Piñera's death. Duque expressed his pain and remembered him as “a unique leader, an upright human being and a friend like few others who always supported Colombia.”

Other leaders who mourned the death were the Peruvian president, Dina Boluarte, who highlighted that Piñera was an “important political leader in the region and friend of Peru”; the president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, who sent a “hug of solidarity” to the people of Chile; and the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who stated that his country joins “the mourning that the people of Chile are overcome by the unfortunate death of the former president.”

And the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, expressed his “deep regret” over the death of the former president of Chile and sent his condolences “in these moments of sadness.”

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) and Spain expressed their sadness and mourned the death of the former Chilean president.

“In light of the tragic death of former President Sebastián Piñera, on behalf of the EU, I wish to express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, as well as to the people and Government of Chile,” the bloc's high representative for Foreign Affairs said in Josep Borrell.

For his part, the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, expressed himself “dismayed by the tragic death of the former president of Chile Sebastián Piñera” and recalled that both countries made COP25 possible together in their time.

Pain among his friends

Former Argentine president Mauricio Macri (2015-2019) stated that he felt “immense sadness” for the death of his “dear friend”, who he said was “committed like no one else to Chile.”

While former president Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018) highlighted that Piñera “was a good personal friend and a great ally of Colombia. He supported and was a guarantor of the peace process, and together we created the Pacific Alliance.”

The Mexican Felipe Calderón Hinojosa (2006-2012) said that it hurt him “deeply” to learn of the death of his friend and considered that his family loses “an exemplary husband and father” and Chile “one of its best presidents.”

The former presidents of Bolivia Evo Morales, Carlos Mesa, Jorge Quiroga and Eduardo Rodríguez Veltzé expressed their condolences to the family of Piñera, a “historic Chilean” and “committed to his country.”

Quiroga (2001-2002) recalled that together with Piñera they founded the Freedom and Democracy Group in Chile in March 2023 and who even traveled with the former president in the same helicopter in which he suffered the fateful accident today.

“Our pilot of freedom and democracy went to heaven,” said the former Bolivian ruler.

The former president of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso (2021-2023) remembered his friend Piñera as “a great man, loyal to the principles of the democratic world.”

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) expressed his “deep regret” and highlighted that they were “allies for the progress” of both countries.

With EFE