End of electoral campaign in Chile: Gabriel Boric, to turn the page on the Pinochet era

Audio 01:35

Chile, last day of the electoral campaign for the general elections of Sunday, November 21: Gabriel Boric, left-wing presidential candidate is meeting in Santiago, November 18, 2021. © REUTERS / Ivan Alvarado

Text by: RFI Follow

2 min

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

Fifteen million voters are being called to the polls to choose who will succeed the very unpopular right-wing billionaire Sebastian Pinera.

The official campaign ended yesterday Thursday.

Left-wing deputy, former student leader Gabriel Boric, is one of the favorites in the election.

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with our correspondent in Santiago,

Justine Fontaine

Gabriel Boric is in a meeting.

"Boric president!", Shout supporters of the young leftist candidate, in the square of Casablanca, a city of 25,000 inhabitants an hour's drive from Santiago, the capital.

At the microphone,

Gabriel Boric

reminds him, he wants to come back to the privatization of public services which took place under the dictatorship of General Pinochet.

“ 

We strongly say that we will end the private pension system, and (…) that we will give dignity to the elderly who have worked their entire lives.

We strongly say that we are going to put an end to the health business, (…) and that we are going to build a system that does not discriminate against the poor.

 "

Reforms that correspond to the demands raised during the

historic demonstrations of 2019

against social inequalities.

Beatriz Carrasco, 50, is a housewife.

She explains to us why she will vote for Gabriel Boric this Sunday.

“ 

I hope health and education improve in the future, because a lot of things are wrong in this country, there is a lot of inequality

.

"

For his supporters, Gabriel Boric is also the most compatible candidate with the Constituent Assembly, an assembly elected this year to draft a new Constitution, to replace the current text, inherited from the dictatorship.

Also to listen

: Presidential election in Chile: what are the expectations of young people?

This Sunday, November 21 will take place at the same time legislative and partial senatorial elections, but also the election of regional advisers.

► 

To read also

: Elections in Chile: the far right wants to regain ground after social mobilizations

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