Gabriel Boric elected president of Chile: "we are entering a period which will be politically very divided"
Audio 19:30
New Chilean President Gabriel Boric greets his supporters after delivering his victory speech in Santiago on December 19, 2021. © MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP
By: Marion Cazanove
2 min
The new Chilean president Gabriel Boric will take office next March.
He won the election yesterday by beating the far-right candidate José-Antonio Kast.
A historic election: at 35, the left-wing deputy will be the youngest president in the country's history, the turnout has also broken records.
Advertising
Yet in the lead in the first round, José-Antonio Kast, historic defender of dictator Pinochet, failed to convince the undecided. His opponent Gabriel Boric won the ballot with nearly 56% of the vote. "
The phenomenon which tipped the scales, without a doubt, it was this extremely high participation
", explains Olivier Compagnon, professor of contemporary history at the Institute of Higher Studies of Latin America, guest of RFI. More than 8 million Chileans turned out in the second round to elect their president, a record. This is a million more people compared to the first round, where 53% of voters abstained. "
Boric had the ability to bring out the popular classes, and also young people
".
For the historian, the anti-migrant and anti-abortion proposals of José-Antonio Kast also contributed to the victory of the candidate of the left.
Gabriel Boric's victory gave rise on Sunday, December 19, 2021 to scenes of jubilation in the country, especially in the capital, Santiago.
For Olivier Compagnon, despite the joy of Boric's supporters, the Chileans are far from united.
"
I believe that we are entering a period which will be politically very divided,
" says the historian.
The president will encounter many obstacles, in industrial and financial circles, with his plans for tax reform and pensions, but also within the Parliament, which is very fragmented.
"
The progressive coalition of which Boric was the candidate does not have a majority, so we will have to negotiate
», Analyzes Olivier Compagnon.
Another difficulty that President Boric will encounter: the economic context.
Growth forecasts for 2022-2023 are very low.
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Chile
On the same subject
Chile: former student leader Gabriel Boric elected president at 35
Presidential election in Chile: Gabriel Boric, the ultimate bulwark against the far right
The Chileans at the time of the vote between Gabriel Boric and José Antonio Kast