The irresistible temptation of Chile’s polarised politics
Why the country has swung from a far-left president to far-right Jose Antonio Kast
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[LONDON] “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it,” exclaimed Lord Henry Wotton in Oscar Wilde’s novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Chileans have taken his advice to heart.
Four years ago, they were tempted by the promise of a progressive “refoundation” of Chile under Gabriel Boric, a former student leader. Chileans yielded to that temptation and made him the youngest and most left-wing president since the country’s return to democracy in 1990.
Illegal migration, rising crime and a sluggish economy under Boric pushed voters towards another temptation: that of far-right former congressman Jose Antonio Kast, whose promises to kick out migrants and cut taxes echo US President Donald Trump’s. Chileans have now yielded to temptation once again, electing Kast president with a record number of votes.
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