Chile is on the brink of a voter turnout in pre-election elections

Chile, hailed for years as an example of economic growth but shaken by two years of civil unrest, will vote on Sunday in a election that has severely strained the country between politics left and right.

Significant uncertainty has taken place in Sunday’s election, the first presidential election since the election spread, or the explosion, of protests in 2019 triggered by inflation on the Santiago metro, which grew rapidly and angered by rising prices and inequality.

The protests left Sebastián Piñera’s now defunct government in the wake of a coup d’état. the rules of the dictatorship. Chile does not allow elections to take place in succession Pinera, whose leadership expires in March, does not stand still.

One of the frontrunners for the second round in December is 35-year-old Gabriel Boric, a congressman and former student leader who rose to prominence over the past decade in street protests against academic inequality.

He hopes that his pledge to bury Chile’s former “neoliberal” in a market that has failed to reduce divisions will resonate with young voters.

Its arch-enemy, José Antonio Kast, is a staunch advocate of free markets and cultural traditions. Kast, a 55-year-old former Congressman and father of nine, has spoken out against migration, same-sex marriage and abortion.

Kast has appealed to Chilean voters farther away, promising to restore order and reduce taxes under his new Republican party, which he founded in 2019. “Test yourself,” was his motto.

Andres Bustamante, a 31-year-old Santiago man who voted for Piñera in the last election, said Kast’s extremist sentiments made him uncomfortable, but he admired the “direct approach to the people… Kast is the only one who has been consistent in his message.”

In the business district of the capital, Sarah González, a 35-year-old psychiatrist, said she voted for Boric, who considered her “the best of the worst” but still remained politically active. establishment, even running as an independent.

There are five other contenders, including Sebastian Sichel, a former social development minister under Piñera, whose actions in the last video debate showed he could “hit Kast late,” said Nicholas Watson, director of Latin America at Teneo. .

The political crisis was further exacerbated by allegations filed by Piñera to remove him from office for several months to step down, which the ruling party said was encouraged by the left to gain political advantage.

Chilean parliamentarians voted in favor initiate lawsuits on allegations that the president did not do well in selling his family $ 152m on mining interest rates. But this week the 43-member Senate lost five votes, with a third of the vote calling for him to be ousted.

Piñera may have avoided eviction, but for Chileans 15m who are eligible to vote, fierce radio debates in both houses have shown how much the country is divided.

“There are two candidates, from two major parties. . . coming after the weakest state of Chile that has existed since our return to democracy [in 1990]José De Gregorio, a professor of economics and former governor of the central bank, told the Financial Times.

Everyone who is going to be president should also look after the voter-approved meeting that has begun to replace substituting laws that divide the people.

He was adopted in 1980 amid the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, with many representing a direct connection to the dictatorship despite repeated reforms.

For some it has become a free economic book that has made the country one of the richest and most economically stable countries in Latin America. The law favors business corporations, which its supporters say have made the country more prosperous and alleviated poverty for millions.

The new summit could weaken the presidency and boost Chile’s growth. Robert Funk, a political scientist at the University of Chile, said the conference’s emphasis on identity, diversity and political independence “would make it impossible to agree on anything”.

All of this could leave a newly elected leader with very little room to start running, with new posts posted on plebiscite in the third quarter of next year.

As for Piñera, he still faces four months in office no matter what on Sunday. His approval is over 20 percent, meaning he is more likely to end his unpopular term than Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil.