The left has done well in elections mainly because voters rejected right-leaning governments, which have had to deal with economic stagnation and then the pandemic
Save time by listening to our audio articles as you multitaskThe picture is more complicated than it looks. The dominant trend for several years has been anti-incumbency, at least where elections are fair. The left has done well mainly because voters rejected right-leaning governments, which have had to deal with economic stagnation and then the pandemic. Region-wide surveys show that voters cluster in the centre.
In part, that is because of what is about to happen in Santiago. Mr Boric represents something new. Although he, like all leftists, worries about economic inequality and looks to the state to reduce it, he will bring to Chile’s presidency the concerns of his generation. For Mr Boric, the “existential issues” are “climate change, gender inequality and the recognition of indigenous communities”, says Robert Funk, a political scientist.
Mr Petro may join Mr Boric as a rare critic of such strongmen. Until recently a fan of Chávez, he now scolds his successor, Nicolás Maduro, especially for his dependence on fossil fuels, and accuses Mr Ortega of turning “a dream of liberation into a banana dictatorship”. Some leaders of the last pink tide were themselves aspiring dictators. Mr Morales in Bolivia and Mr Correa in Ecuador followed Chávez’s example in using new constitutions to take over the judiciary and other independent institutions. The newer presidents tend to chip away at, rather than sweep away, the separation of powers.has given more duties to the army, which he controls. He has placed cronies in regulatory bodies and slashed the budget of the independent electoral authority.
Today’s left-wing governments face tougher economic times than did their predecessors, which were helped by a commodity boom. Although commodity prices have risen, especially in recent days, the bonanza may be smaller. The pandemic has increased demands for social spending and, with interest rates rising, public debt will be more expensive to service.