Chile’s presidential runoff pits Pinochet supporter against left-leaning reformer
Six months ago, Chileans elected a reform-oriented majority to write a new constitution. Last month, Chilean voters made far-right candidate José Antonio Kast the front-runner for presidential runoff elections on Dec. 19. Kast will face the left’s Gabriel Boric, setting up a sharply divided race that pits Kast’s open admiration for Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship against Boric’s alliance with voting blocs demanding a more inclusive and democratic Chile.
If Kast wins the presidency, Chile could be led by two competing sets of institutions: on one side, an executive branch controlled by an authoritarian-minded president and a divided Congress; and on the other, a constitutional convention dominated by the left and political newcomers.… Seguir leyendo »