In the interval, “Gabriel Boric succeeded in placing his speech at the heart of the political agenda and above all in correcting some mistakes he had made during the first round“, analyzes the executive director of the Political Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean (OPALC) Gaspard Estrada this Monday on franceinfo, after the victory of the progressive left candidate Gabriel Boric in the presidential election in Chile with 56% of votes against the far-right candidate José Antonio Kast.
franceinfo: Is this large victory of the left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric in the presidential election in Chile a surprise?
Yes and I think the answer to this question is found in the very high participation, I would even say a historic participation (55% of registrants). For the first time in Chile’s electoral history, we exceed eight million voters in an election and it is this increase in participation compared to the first round that explains the very comfortable score of Gabriel Boric, who, in fact , helped José Antonio Kast quickly recognize his defeat against his left-wing rival.
What allowed Gabriel Boric to beat his far-right rival, when the latter won more votes in the first round?
I think there was an in-between rounds where Gabriel Boric succeeded in placing his speech at the heart of the political agenda and above all in correcting some mistakes he had made during the first round, in particular by aiming to gather more broadly the electorate not only which was acquired to him on the left, but especially towards the center-left and even the center. He wanted to allay fears about his program by bringing together a wider circle of economists and experts. He also received the support of former social democratic presidents in particular Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet who made the trip to Santiago. It was necessary to reassure, it was necessary to reassure and send signals of appeasement.
What type of policy will he lead? Will he have to compromise on his most left-wing positions?
Given the political reality of Parliament, which is a fragmented congress, it will have to make alliances and agreements. That being said, I think there are certain markers from his campaign that should be central to the start of his term. I am thinking in particular of the question of taxation, of tax reform, and the question of pension reform, in particular to be able to put a little public in a very private system. Afterwards, it is clear that he will have to forge alliances and perhaps water down his program in order to be able to move forward on his flagship measures.
Is the victory of the left a setback for the United States?
The influence of the United States has been on the decline in Latin America for several years. Above all, we see the emergence of China, which is making its mark in particular as an economic partner. Today, China is Chile’s largest trading partner. It has therefore become less of a stake for the United States given Washington’s loss of influence in the Latin American region.