Three lost years and still lost

CHILE - In Brief 18 Oct 2022 by Robert Funk

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Today marks the third anniversary of Chile’s social explosion. Much has happened since and because of the October uprising: the rise of inflation, a failed constitutional process, the election of Gabriel Boric. Sadly, the demands that the protests brought to the fore are far from being addressed, and have mostly worsened. And new problems and challenges have appeared. It has been three lost years, and Chile remains in the wilderness. There are many ways of gauging this mood. The most recent Cadem poll shows that Boric is extremely unpopular, with 27% approval, unable to deliver neither on his promises nor on the most basic responsibilities of government, such as addressing crime. Youths in white overalls set fire to buses, carjackings are common, and armed gangs terrorize shopowners. Landowners in the south of the country are at the mercy of Mapuche rebels. Immigration has slowed only because there are fewer jobs for immigrants. The lack of public order has led to a shift in public opinion on policing, even retroactively. Whereas 69% thought at the time that police force was excessive during the October 2019 protests, today that number has dropped to 38%. This shift, and the government’s inaction on issues such as crime, have helped propel the anti-immigration, pro-business, tough-on-crime populist PDG (Party of the People) to become the largest and most popular party in Chile. Given the difficulties faced by Boric, his lack of popular support and a difficult external environment, you would think he would be looking for easy ways to provide the market with positive signals. Indeed, on his few foreign trips, including his recent one to New York, Boric does not fail to m...