Presidential election in Chile: José Antonio Kast, ultraconservative candidate, given favorite

José Antonio Kast, of the Republican Party, November 12, 2021. MARTIN BERNETTI AFP

Text by: Justine Fontaine Follow

3 min

In Chile, it is the most important presidential election for almost 30 years.

Fifteen million people are being called to the polls this Sunday, November 21 to renew the Congress and choose who will succeed Sebastian Piñera at the head of the country.

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From our RFI correspondent in Santiago de Chile

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These are the first general elections since the historic social movement against inequality two years ago.

Chile is also in the process of drafting a new Constitution, and the presidential campaign has become polarized in recent weeks.

The far-right candidate has gained momentum in opinion polls and thus appears in the Chilean media as one of the two favorites in this election.

Former parliamentarian José Antonio Kast defends the neoliberal economic model inherited from the dictatorship.

He is anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage and wants to dig a ditch on Chile's northern border to prevent the arrival of Latin American migrants.

For him, General Pinochet's regime was not a dictatorship.

In fact, he benefits in part from the very poor campaign led by another candidate, Sebastian Sichel.

He is a former minister who is supported by the right-wing coalition in power.

And that's not really a giveaway, because the president and the government are very unpopular today.

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On the left, it is a young deputy, former student leader, who appears as the favorite for the moment. His name is Gabriel Boric, he is only 35 years old. He is bearded, he has some tattoos and he became known during the great movement for free education in Chile, in 2011. He represents the new Chilean left, particularly from social movements, with a rather feminist program. , environmentalist. He promises to put an end to the system of private funded pensions, to overhaul the health system. He is supported by the Communist Party and this earned him criticism from the right but also from the center-left. The Christian Democrat Yasna Provoste for example. She is the only female candidate and she promises moderation, stability,and the negotiation to get the country out of the social and political crisis it has been going through for two years.

A few days before the election, no certainty concerning the results of the first round. The polls are really unreliable in Chile. What we can say is that

none of the candidates should have a clear majority in Congress. And the future president will have many challenges to manage: getting the country out of the Covid-19 crisis, responding to the demands of the social movement against inequalities, or even ensuring the transition to a new Constitution. Because a Constituent Assembly is in the process of drafting the text which should replace the fundamental charter inherited from the Pinochet dictatorship. The new Constitution must be ready for next July, then will be submitted to a referendum. If it is approved it will probably be necessary to organize a new presidential election.

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This November 15 will take place the last televised presidential debate between the candidates and tomorrow Tuesday the Senate is called upon to say if yes not the current president, Sebastian Piñera must be removed, following the scandal of the “Pandora Papers”.

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