Share

A Radical Change in Chile? Don’t Bet On It

By Patricio Navia

Last week’s primaries show that most voters are looking for mainstream candidates for president in November.

In last week’s presidential primaries, Chilean voters followed the dominant trend in Latin America and signaled that they are ready to hand power back to Sebastián Piñera, a center-right market-friendly former president (2010-2014). If Piñera wins the general election in November, Chile will complete an unprecedented 16- year run under only two democratically elected leaders – Michelle Bachelet (2006-2010, 2014-2018) and Piñera.

This would be partly a consequence of Chile’s Constitution, which forbids presidents from serving consecutive terms but allows them to serve again. But it’s...

Read this article on the Americas Quarterly website. | Subscribe to AQ.

Related

REACTION: Yamandú Orsi Wins Uruguay’s Presidency

The center-left candidate defeated his center-right rival in the November 24 runoff.

The Politician Leading a Sweeping Overhaul of Mexican Politics

As head of Morena in the lower house, Ricardo Monreal is at the forefront of a bid to recast Mexico’s legal framework—and has his own ambitions, too.

Explore