Chile to hold primary elections

Chilean voters will head to the polls today to vote in presidential primaries in the leadup to a November 21 presidential election.

Voters will choose between two main political coalitions: the left-of-center Approve Dignity coalition and the right-of-center Go Chile alliance. The two frontrunners in the race for Approve Dignity candidacy are former-student leader Gabriel Boric and communist party representative and mayor of Recoleta Daniel Jadue. Former mayor of Santiago Joaquin Lavin leads the race for Go Chile’s leadership.

Current polling suggests that Lavin will likely win the conservative primary, while Jadue is expected to narrowly defeat Boric for Go Chile leadership. If selected, Jadue will become the first communist party candidate to represent a major coalition in Chile’s history. Expect Jadue’s campaign to focus on diversifying the Chilean economy, namely by reducing dependence on copper exports, as well as transitioning to a 40-hour work week from the country’s current 45-hour system. Additionally, expect Jadue to distance himself from the US, likely drawing concern from Washington. The US historically been wary of leftist politicians in South America and is likely to balk at the prospect of a communist president in a South American nation outside Cuba.

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