José Antonio Kast has exploited Trumpian issues ahead of November’s election despite the country’s recent leftward turn
Hopes for a more progressive Chile have been dealt a blow as a far-right candidate surges in opinion polls ahead of the first presidential election since massive demonstrations against inequality erupted in 2019.
But fears over migration, public security and shifting social values have boosted the far right, making the 21 November election a battle between starkly contrasting visions for Chile’s future.
The country has been on edge since September, when anti-migrant violence exploded in Iquique, a port on Chile’s arid northern coast.
“His advance in the polls is a reaction to the simplistic narrative that everything that has happened over the last 30 years has been negative.”
Although he is likened to Jair Bolsonaro, Kast’s similarly vitriolic message is delivered with a more understated tone than that of the Brazilian president.
His programme focuses on conservative family values, moves against corruption and the strengthening of public security. He makes a point of criticising political correctness, inclusive language, identity politics and the perceived “abandonment” of Chilean traditions.
Analysts say that Kast draws support from a continuum of voters reaching to the peripheries of Chile’s far right.
Yeah ... that's what you get when huge amounts of haitian imports are reverting back to take what you can, give nothing back.
Big round of applause for the lefties in destroying a well on it's way country. But what is new? Same playbook, different country.