- Title: Left-right divide grips Chile's voters ahead of presidential vote
- Date: 14th December 2021
- Summary: SANTIAGO, CHILE (DECEMBER 13, 2021) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT AT CENTRAL UNIVERSITY, MARCO MORENO, SAYING: "Today, it seems that they are trying to mobilize with this type of argument. Of those who are for Gabriel Boric, they are supporting the communist party and therefore that would turn people away in Chile if there is an anti-communist vote. And that remains to be seen because it is not yet a very clear scenario. And on the other side, with respect to Jose Antonio Kast, there is the idea that his conservatism represents Pinochetism, which was the yes and no of the 1988 plebiscite. But that is precisely due to this attempt to generate polarization in society, to be able to activate people and for people to go vote. That is what they are trying to do."
- Embargoed: 28th December 2021 15:40
- Keywords: Chile Gabriel Boric Jose Antonio Kast Sebastian Pinera elections
- Location: SANTIAGO & IQUIQUE, CHILE
- City: SANTIAGO & IQUIQUE, CHILE
- Country: Chile
- Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
- Reuters ID: LVA003F80FDXJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Chileans will choose their next president on Sunday (December 19) amid a polarisation of voters divided between the left and right.
Chile's presidential election race is tightening ahead of a polarized runoff on Sunday, with ultra-conservative Jose Antonio Kast narrowing the gap to leftist former student leader Gabriel Boric as the two compete for key middle ground votes.
The vote has divided Chileans between a revitalized progressive left, which has gained strongly since widespread social protests in 2019, and a counter movement on the far right that has rallied around Kast's tough law and order message.
According to the director of the school of Government of Chile's Central University, Marco Moreno, the main concern is not who the president will be but who will be able to govern in the complex Chilean context.
"In this scenario of uncertainty where governance is going to be threatened because we are going to have economic problems, the constitution will not be ready. Therefore, there won't be clear rules of the game and there will be many political demands resulting from the choice itself," said Moreno.
Boric and Kast offer wildly different visions for the future of the Andean nation, the world's top producer of copper and long seen as a bastion of stability in the region that is plagued by political upheaval and economic volatility.
(Production: Rodrigo Gutierrez, Carolina Fernandez, Nina Lopez, Andrea Rodriguez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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