Chile: Right, Left, and Center

CHILE

Left, Right and Center

It’s tempting to see the victory of conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera in Chile’s recent presidential elections as a sign the country is veering to the right — and launching Europe’s penchant for oligarchy in South America.

One of the richest politicians in the world, Pinera takes office in March, after his conservative Let’s Go Chile coalition trounced center-left candidate Alejandro Guillier, of the ruling New Majority coalition, capturing 54.6 percent of the vote in the final round of the country’s presidential election on Dec. 17, the Associated Press reported.

During Pinera’s acceptance speech, supporters could be heard singing, “Chile has been saved.”

But pundits are divided over whether the results signal a drift to the right like that of Argentina and Brazil. Though Pinera is more conservative than his center-left opponent and won on a pro-business platform, the Economist argued that the outcome represented “a vote for continuity [rather] than radical change.”

And political scientists Jennifer Pribble and Juan Pablo Luna opined in the Washington Post that the vote “does not signal a right turn,” due to the strong performance of the left-wing Broad Front, which increased its seats from three to 20 in the lower house.

Pinera’s campaign promises hint that may be correct. On one hand, he courted right-wing voters by comparing his center-left opposition’s policies to the failed government of Venezuela. He also promised to double growth from the 1.8 percent a year managed under the departing Socialist President Michelle Bachelet, whose administration reformed Chile’s tax and education systems and loosened the country’s strict abortion laws. But on the other, he proposed increasing public spending by $14 billion over four years, or 1.4 percent of GDP per year, for pensions, health, infrastructure and education. He also promised to retain Bachelet’s free university tuition for the poorest 60 percent of students.

No doubt he learned from his first term as president, from 2010 to 2014, which was marred by large protests against inequality and demands for education reform, noted the Associated Press.

He’ll benefit from a rebound in prices for copper — the mainstay of the country’s economy. But he’s likely to struggle to push through needed reforms to the pension system or deliver on his promises to reform tax and education policies, Pribble and Luna argue, as the coalition controls only 73 of the 155 seats in the lower house.

Political gridlock could further alienate voters who were already disillusioned by corruption allegations against Bachelet and the perception that Chile is “stuck.” And Pinera, too, has faced criticism for his offshore holdings and use of tax havens, as well as breaching securities law and manipulating employment and poverty figures.

His best bet, therefore, may be to stay the course, says the Economist, arguing that Chileans aspire to a “pro-market and socially aware” political system. Pinera’s victory message echoed that point, according to the Los Angeles Times.

“Chile needs agreements rather than confrontations,” he said. “It needs dialogue, collaboration, because that is how countries progress.”

 Right.Left And Center