22 votes

Gabriel Boric wins election as Chile’s next president

5 comments

  1. [3]
    Ayax28
    Link
    I was a bit surprised that this wasn't already linked, but I guess I'm the only Chilean then! The news itself is a bit old, from last year, but I linked anyway to give notice, more so now with the...

    I was a bit surprised that this wasn't already linked, but I guess I'm the only Chilean then!

    The news itself is a bit old, from last year, but I linked anyway to give notice, more so now with the announcement that Kamala Harris will come when Boric takes office in the 11 of March.

    13 votes
    1. [2]
      AugustusFerdinand
      Link Parent
      As possibly the only Chilean here: What's your take on Boric, his policies, plans, and do you think he'll be effective as the president?

      As possibly the only Chilean here: What's your take on Boric, his policies, plans, and do you think he'll be effective as the president?

      7 votes
      1. Ayax28
        Link Parent
        Chile is not in the best shape nowadays, and Boric knows it. He is the most down to earth president we had and also the most willingly to try to discuss and negotiate reforms to improve the common...
        • Exemplary

        Chile is not in the best shape nowadays, and Boric knows it. He is the most down to earth president we had and also the most willingly to try to discuss and negotiate reforms to improve the common citizen. Before, he had always been joked around saying him "amarillo" (yellow, since he always looked for the other pollitically side, like mixing red and blue) and even was cancelled by far leftists for supposely selling out to the right, pouring him beer in a park, but he tried to hear them and stand by his own. I think the comparison to Sanders is right in some sense, but in others, Boric is far more willing to getting close to the center to make actual change.

        So, with that, his economic policies that try to end neoliberalism in Chile and try to make it closer to a europe socialdemocracy are probably not gonna occur or gonna be reduced in scope. Not because of lack of popular support, but because the congress is divided, so he doesn't have the votes to push any legislation and since our country has high debt, inflation and flee of foreign capital, never seen since the 90s. It is a real shame, since this country needs some reforms in order to escape the middle income trap and to really become a developed nation, but we will try to see what changes will occur. Is not like Boric had the most radical leftist economic policies like seizing the means of production or nationalize all economic assets. He instead pushed for taxing the ultra-rich, creating national enterprises for lithium, improving pension funds for the eldery and eliminating AFP, our private system for pension funds, and so many other polices that try to make Chile not so dependent on extractivism. It has not the best policies and has been critized by economists, but he will bring interesting subjects to the chilean economy.

        What I really hope that change is coming in the subject of Health, our country is leader in vaccinations and we have the longest lifespan in all latinoamerica, but that hides the fact that our country has a health system very precarious and centralized, with Santiago being the only city with world-class hospitals. Often, chileans born is the regions have to travel very far away to be treated, Boric knows this since he comes from Punta Arenas, the farthest city to Santiago in Chile (and I would even say that he is the southern born president in the world!). Add to the fact that public hospitals pale in comparison to private clinics and that mental health in Chile is atrocious, with us leading the most deppresed country (even Boric had a treatment to OCD).

        And so many other things I also hope for a change. He has promised to improve funding in Chile to R&D, and to push science like no other president. He proclaim that he was going to be the first ecological goverment and to push the energy renewables like Chile has been doing for a long time. And so on and so on.

        Will he be a great president? We don't know, but he has the team and ideas to becoming one. I really trust him, besides he looks as someone I could drank a beer with in a party. Oh, did I say he is now the most powerful tool fan.

        14 votes
  2. [2]
    Grzmot
    Link
    CIA sponsored coup in 3, 2, 1...

    CIA sponsored coup in 3, 2, 1...

    2 votes
    1. Ayax28
      Link Parent
      We also have made fun of that chance, but not at the same scale as foreigners. But I don't think is going to happen, since our left is pretty far away from the typical latinoamerican...

      We also have made fun of that chance, but not at the same scale as foreigners. But I don't think is going to happen, since our left is pretty far away from the typical latinoamerican "anti-imperialist" left. Ours is much closer to a liberal left and I would even say to the Democrat party and Social Democrats all over Europe. Even Boric has been talking to american and european leaders for a long time, he's part of Progressive International, organization founded by Sanders and has talked other US organizations.

      So, if CIA decides to make a coup, and God forbids it, it would be the dumbest error they could do, followed by that fiasco in Bolivia elections.

      7 votes