On Wednesday, October 7, the Senate approved the report of the joint committee on the Rules on the Use of Force (RUF) with 29 votes in favor, 15 against and one abstention, according to Emol, La Tercera and Cooperativa. Hours earlier, the Chamber of Deputies had approved it with 111 votes in favor. With that, Congress cleared the bill, which is now in a position to be promulgated. Senators of the PS, PPD, PC and Broad Front voted against; the Socialist Fidel Espinoza abstained and Senator Juan Luis Castro (PS) announced a reservation of constitutionality over the rules on the use of weapons by the military and the criminal liability of officials. The text sets a graduated scale in the use of force, from deterrent presence and verbal persuasion to physical control, less-lethal means and blank rounds; potentially lethal force is allowed only if the earlier levels failed. President Kast celebrated the clearing of a bill introduced in 2023 under the Boric government, and Minister Martín Arrau stressed the broad majority. DailyDrop did not see the promulgation date.
The law puts in writing when Carabineros, the PDI and the Armed Forces may use force, a gap that the security debate had carried for years. It was approved a week after the death of two carabineros, with broad support from the right and the moderate left.
For citizens, the law seeks to give the police certainty and at the same time set limits on their conduct. If a person is injured in an operation, it will be the law’s proportionality criterion that is examined.
Supporters say it gives legal backing to those who risk their lives, that it was approved by a broad majority and that it was an outstanding debt.
Those who voted against, part of the center-left, argue that some rules on the use of weapons and on grounds for exemption from liability are too broad.
What comes next is promulgation and the possibility of a petition to the Constitutional Court, which the PS announced when it reserved constitutionality. Watch whether it is filed and how long it takes, because that determines when the law starts to apply.
Emol, La Tercera, CNN Chile, BioBioChile, Cooperativa (Oct. 7, 2026)
Congress clears the Rules on the Use of Force: the Senate approved them 29 to 15 and the bill is ready to become law
After three years in the legislative pipeline, the bill introduced in 2023 by the Boric government was approved with votes from the governing coalition and part of the opposition.
On Wednesday, October 7, the Senate approved the Rules on the Use of Force with 29 votes in favor, 15 against and one abstention, according to Emol and La Tercera. The Chamber had approved them hours earlier with 111 votes in favor. The bill is ready to be promulgated.
The text sets a graduated scale, from deterrent presence to physical control, less-lethal means and blank rounds; potentially lethal force is allowed only if the earlier levels are insufficient. It applies to Carabineros and the PDI. The PS split, senators of the PC and the Broad Front voted against, and Senator Castro announced a reservation of constitutionality.