Boric now seeks to regain ground and push a political agenda that includes a tax reform to finance more social spending and a environmental regulation stricter that raises alarms in the powerful mining sector of Chile, the world’s leading producer of copper.
A poll released on Sunday showed that support for the president fell to 34%, the lowest level since he took office on March 11, in line with support for the proposal of new constitution.
How Gabriel Boric fares is key not only for Chile but for leftist governments in Latin America and his ability to win over voters angered by high fuel and food prices, the cooling of the economy and the residual impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
During his campaign, Boric promised to end the economic model geared towards free marketalthough he moderated his speech by appointing the former president of the Central Bank Mario Marcel as finance minister, a sign that calmed investors in the world’s largest copper producer.
The postponed social agenda
But while his environmental agenda and focus on inclusion have earned him praise, analysts say most Chileans are more concerned with everyday matters.
“People also want to make ends meet, buy a car, be certain that their children will have a prosperous life,” said Cristóbal Bellolio, a political analyst.
The conflict with the Mapuche in the south of Chile, where arson attacks against property, machinery and vehicles are frequently recorded, also put to the test the more conciliatory position of Gabriel Boric, whose sector harshly criticized the government of Sebastian Pinera for resorting to the military to deal with the conflict.
And although during the campaign he assured that his government would not resort to state of emergencyfinally he did.
“Once the ‘Boricmania’ is over, we return to business as usual, it was logical that all these public order issues were going to be a headache for the Government,” Bellolio said.
Chile and the new Constitution
Gabriel Boric will face a key referendum in September on the new Constitution, which aims to replace the current text that catapulted the former dictator’s neoliberal economic policies Augusto Pinochet.
Although that process began before the young president arrived in La Moneda, the government is banking on its success as it supports many of the same ideas that it is trying to promote.
The executive’s spokeswoman, Camila Vallejo, said that Boric is focused on promoting a fair and transparent plebiscite and promoting his agenda regardless of the result, although he added that the current Constitution limits the reforms they want to promote.
“We are going to push with the same conviction that we had when we assumed power,” he said. “Chile has worked very seriously on this and if we can contribute to showing that it is possible to make profound changes, for the rest of the world, happy to be able to do so.”
Source: Ambito
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