an open campaign with many undecided voters

The Chilean presidential campaign officially started on September 22, with the first debate between the candidates, in a context marked both by a demand for political renewal and strong indecision. Voters must nominate on November 21 the successor or successor of heckled Sebastian Piñera (right), who cannot run again, as outgoing head of state.

At the top of the polls, with nearly 20% of voting intentions according to the Activa institute: Gabriel Boric, 35, left-wing deputy and former leader of the student movements in 2011 demanding “quality public education”. The youngest presidential contender in Chilean history created a surprise during the July primaries by beating the expected candidate, a Communist mayor from the north of the capital.

Among the seven candidates in the running, it is in particular Gabriel Boric who echoes the demands made by the Constituent Assembly. Elected in May, this assembly also aroused surprise, with a majority of independent constituents marked on the left, conveying the great demands of the historic social movement of October 2019, in favor of social rights. The way the future president will look at this assembly is therefore a key part of the discussions.

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In second place in the polls, the right-wing coalition led by Sebastián Sichel, a 44-year-old lawyer, credited with nearly 12% of voting intentions. Candidate for continuity, he strives to distance the figure of Sebastián Piñera – he was his Minister of Social Development from 2019 to 2020 – whose image is deeply damaged by the pandemic and the management of the social uprising of 2019 .

Strong growth

Chile has, however, managed to stem the death rate, compared to other countries in the region, such as Peru, Brazil or Argentina, with more than 37,000 deaths linked to the coronavirus for nearly 19 million inhabitants. . This year, with growth of around 11%, the country will largely absorb the fall in gross domestic product of 2020 (- 5.8%).

“Sebastián Sichel’s central discourse is that of support for small and medium-sized enterprises, and against the presence of the State”, underlines Isabel Castillo, political scientist and researcher at the Center for Conflict and Social Cohesion, who notes the candidate’s desire to position himself more at the center. He notably spoke in favor of marriage for people of the same sex, which is currently being debated in Parliament.

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