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Original article: Diputado republicano Kunstmann cambió la semana distrital por el Caribe y responde: “No tenía vacaciones”

Republican Congressman Kunstmann Swaps District Week for Caribbean Vacation: «I Didn’t Have a Vacation»

Republican Congressman Leandro Kunstmann did not spend the district week touring the streets of the Los Ríos region; instead, he chose to enjoy the beaches of the Caribbean. When questioned about the controversy surrounding his absence during this critical period for engaging with constituents about his legislative work, the congressman responded with a statement that sparked further debate: “I didn’t have a vacation.”

This explanation has not quelled criticism, adding to the questions about a representative who claims to have an “unblemished track record.”

The district week is designated in the legislative calendar specifically for congressmen to suspend congressional sessions and fully engage with their constituencies. During this time, representatives are expected to listen to their voters, oversee public services, and report on their management. However, Kunstmann utilized this opportunity to sunbathe in the Caribbean, which has raised eyebrows among his constituents and within political circles.

In an interview with Noticias Los Ríos, Kunstmann defended his decision by citing the right to privacy. “Anyone can go away, district week or not,” he stated, adding that he has hardly taken a break in the last four years due to his dual role as a politician and entrepreneur, explaining that the family trip to the Caribbean was planned a year in advance.

“This trip was scheduled last year; it was a family trip that I took with my family, my siblings, my father, and my mother. It is a family trip that was planned long ago,” he emphasized.

“It has been nearly four years since I had a vacation because besides being a politician, I work; I have a business, and my life is no longer under my own management. Entrepreneurs do not have vacations because we work 100% all year round,” he added.

He also mentioned the political campaigns he participated in as a candidate. “Two campaigns on my shoulders; I was a candidate for mayor in 2024, and then I returned to run for congressman,” he explained.

The Republican legislator also used a comparative argument to defend himself: he claimed to be, “by far,” the congressman who has traveled the most in his region during previous district weeks.

“We have over 35 oversight requests from different municipalities and agencies, and we have had a massive territorial deployment; I believe I have been the congressman who has traveled the most in my region during the district week, by far, and of course, one will always have family moments,” he concluded, while asserting that despite this controversy, he maintains an “unblemished political track record since the beginning.”

«What’s Important is That I Do My Work in Parliament»

The republican continued to defend his trip, stating that in his view, it does not interfere with his legislative responsibilities. “What’s important is that I do my work here in Parliament. That’s what I get paid for,” he remarked.

In his statements, the far-right congressman made it clear that he has information about those who leaked details of his trip to the Caribbean during district week and pointed fingers at members of the ruling party. “I know perfectly well who they are,” he said, without disclosing names.

However, he defended his political style, asserting that despite having sensitive information about colleagues from Renovación Nacional or UDI, he prefers not to use it because “that is not how I work.”

“I work transparently. I take responsibility for my own work, and if others make mistakes, I am not here to point them out. They will answer to their electorate in due time,” he said to the cited media outlet.

Kunstmann, who identified himself as a Christian-Catholic, remarked that those who leaked information “will answer to God at the moment of their death, for He will judge us at the end of our lives.”

In his view, everyone will be accountable “to God, who will judge us at the end of our lives.”

“I hold no grudges; I turn the other cheek,” he concluded.

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