Editorial

The illusion of participation in Chile’s presidential elections

Monday, 06 May 2013 13:13
Written by Raul H. Ojeda
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Opinion: Michelle Bachelet’s Concertación coalition fumbles badly; citizen blowback expected.
 
Patricio Aylwin, Chile’s president between 1990 and 1994, was the only leader of Chile’s center-left “Concertación for Democracy” coalition to receive the presidential nomination behind closed doors. All subsequent nominees during the Concertación’s 20-year reign of power were selected by primaries — making it the only political alliance to do so and thus giving the Concertción’s presidential candidates a symbolic legitimacy vitally needed in a country emerging from a horrible military dictatorship. 

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Chile’s presidential race off and running

Saturday, 06 April 2013 22:14
Written by Steve Anderson
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Opinion: Bachelet is but one of 12 candidates.

With former President Michelle Bachelet officially in the race, there are now 12 presidential candidates vying for the public’s attention. That number will soon be whittled down by about half, once the primaries take place mid-year in the right-leaning Alianza alliance and the left-leaning Concertación alliance. In addition to the primaries, several self-declared candidates either will or won’t get sufficient signatures gathered to officially put them on the ballot.

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Populism, MEO and Chile's future

Wednesday, 17 October 2012 15:13
Written by Steve Anderson
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The young progressive candidate may be the sum of the status quo's worst fears.

A poll by the Center for the Study of Contemporary Reality (CERC) released this week revealed, perhaps predictably, that Chileans were losing faith in their government. This study, however, included an added twist: not only are Chilean losing faith in the government, they are losing faith in the entire economic system the government seeks to hold up.

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Environmental Minister Benítez vs. Chile’s Supreme Court

Friday, 14 September 2012 18:24
Written by Steve Anderson
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Private interests vs. the public interest?

Environmental Minister Maria Ignacia Benítez’s criticism of  the Supreme Court decision to stop the US$5.3 billion Castilla fossil fuel generator and port project is drawing a great deal of attention.

Deservedly so.

Benítez publicly asserted that the Supreme Court’s decision was “full of errors and this is serious” and that the issues involved in the case were “too technical” for the court to really understand or rule on in an impartial way.

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The many gaffes of Chile’s President

Monday, 25 June 2012 20:24
Written by Steve Anderson
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Why Chile’s comedians love Sebastián Piñera.

President Sebastián Piñera’s low polling numbers — currently at 33 percent — will likely spiral downward once again as a result of an incredibly stupid gaffe committed last Thursday in Brazil.

A press aide abruptly ended a BBC Mundo interview when the reporter asked the president about the recent cinematic homage given to former Chilean dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet in Santiago. Before this question, Piñera had waxed eloquent on the Rio de Janeiro summit and national issues facing Chile.
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