Chile 2021: To the Left or to the Right?

Ballot to Talk About

This week's episode looks at the major parties and players who took part in the first round of the Chilean presidential election last week and their legislative elections. Gabriel Boric and Jose Antonio Kast will be going head to head in December in the presidential run-off, as the two traditional left and right blocs, including the party of incumbent President Sebastian Pinera, fall behind and fail to make the final two – this week’s discussion assesses the changing political landscape in Chile and what the run-off might look like in a month’s time.

As the campaign recommences ahead of the presidential second round, Sam and Chern take a look at the political scene in Chile and why the population may have turned to the far-right and far-left in the search for solutions to their economic and political problems. Why did the New Social Pact fail to capitalise on Pinera and the governing coalition’s litany of problems? What provoked the rise of Kast and the far-right so suddenly throughout this campaign? Is Garbiel Boric or Jose Antonio Kast better positioned to pick up the voters of the more moderate groupings in the second round? What has been the impact of the Pinochet legacy on this campaign? All these questions and more answered in this week’s podcast.

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