Chileans have elected the Constitutional Council that will draw up the new Magna Carta of that country and that will be submitted to a plebiscite to be approved or rejected on December 17 of this year. The big loser in this last election was the government of the young leftist, gabriel boric. Of the 51 members of the Council, 34 will belong to right-wing forces16 to the left and there will be a representative of the indigenous peoples.
Why has the left lost? Among other things for inflation that does not seem to reach a ceiling (it rose 9.9% in 12 months). Secondly, due to the strong migratory crisis that has raised insecurity and crime rates. For example, in murders, the growth in 2022 was 44% compared to the previous year. In this framework, and although it was not an election to evaluate the government’s management, it is clear that the majority of Chileans found an opportunity to express their rejection of the current president.
What does this victory mean for the right? A strengthening in view of the 2025 presidential elections, above all, for José Antonio Kast, leader of the far-right Republican party and close to donald trump already Santiago Abascal of VOX. The opposition to Boric has a great opportunity ahead of them to configure a new Constitution, which certainly -at the time- they refused to change but thanks to the progress of the constituent process they have been able to gain ground, strengthen themselves and mark a very clear contrast to the government.
The biggest challenge facing the Chilean right will be to manage the victory and not use the great opportunity that lies ahead to widen the ideological and economic gap that continues to widen in the country.
