Chile will hit the polls on November 21. And many worry that the nation, which has altered between the center-right and center-left for decades, could be on the verge of a shift to the far-right. Considered by many as Chile’s answer to Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, José Antonio Kast has been consistently rising in polls since early in September.
Could Mr. Kast pull it off? If he wins, what will that mean for Chile and its newly-elected constituent assembly? Or, if he loses, what marks will he leave on the political landscape, and how will he shape a more radicalized opposition?
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Guest:
- Ignacio Portes is The Brazilian Report’s Buenos Aires correspondent. He writes the Latin America Weekly newsletter and covers affairs around the continent. He previously worked for the Buenos Aires Herald and The Bubble, and has written for outlets such as Al Jazeera and The Financial Times.
This episode used music from Uppbeat. License codes: HSZNNQUUUCCH9ARA, G7DBNT0AJTFGVJFG, TZ2EPEW7EXWLNQSY.
Background reading:
- With Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, other countries in the region are beginning to look at their own authoritarian and reactionary figures within their politics. Could Latin America give rise to ‘new Bolsonaros’?
- Once treated as a credible presidential contender, Sebastián Sichel’s campaign is in freefall. Far-right contender José Antonio Kast has taken his place — and climbed to first place in the polls.
- One of the reasons for Mr. Sichel’s meltdown is the Pandora Papers scandal, which raised controversy around the Sebastián Piñera administration — which supports Mr. Sichel.
- Chileans will choose Sebastián Piñera’s successor in November, with decarbonization, the ongoing water crisis, and the signing of the Escazú Agreement all set to be priorities. Here are candidates’ main proposals for the environment.
- Spanish far-right party Vox is tring to plant its flag in Latin America. The move started in Mexico but will have ripple effects across the region.
- Recent crises in Latin America show how the Armed Forces remain key power brokers in the democratic game. That is a danger to countries across the region, said Harvard professor Steven Levitsky in Episode #88.
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