Gabriel Boric: The Youngest President of Chile

Chile’s 35-year-old former Leftist student leader Gabriel Boric is all set to become the country’s youngest president. This new role will also become one of the youngest leaders of the world. He is set to preside over his office in March 2022. 

The background behind the win 
Boric won the Presidential election by securing 56 per cent of votes, while his opponent Jose Antonio Kast only managed to secure the rest 44 per cent. Never before has Chile witnessed such a polarised Presidential election. In 2019, there were massive scale riots in the capital city of Santiago due to the sudden increase in subway fares. Later on, it led to nationwide protests as inequality, privatisation and rise in the cost of living kept on increasing.  

This is when Chile started anticipating the worst and thought that they were once again going to be consumed by fascism like the times of their military dictator Augusto Pinochet between 1973 and 1990. During his 16 year long regime, the country had experienced brutality, violence, hatred and suppression. Thousands of Chileans were exiled, many tortured and killed.  

Boric’s opponent Kast made the mistake of openly defending their predecessor Pinochet during his presidential campaign, besides criticising Boric’s inexperience in the public office, that may have led to his eventual failure and Boric’s much anticipated and historic victory.  

What did Boric do differently? 
Boric found it tough to secure the minimum 35,000 signatures mandatory to become a presidential candidate. This was because he was a popular local student leader and not a prominent figure in Chile’s national politics. However, shocking everyone in the political domain, Boric managed to beat his senior colleague and mayor of Santiago Daniel Jadue of the Communist Party and got an unexpected opportunity to lead the leftist alliance from the front. 

During his presidential campaign, Boric, instead of badmouthing his opponent or confusing potential voters about the consequences of fascism, chose to talk about why he deserved their votes. His remarkable campaign slogan and his refrain “I approve dignity above all” may have finally sealed the deal. In fact, many praised his campaign and tagged it as a reflection of Obama’s Presidential campaign across USA.  

Boric’s Presidential campaign resonated primarily with the country’s youth who took the help of social media to show their support and even came down on the streets organising rallies.  

What does Boric’s win mean for Chile? 
Chile has been undergoing the much-needed political transformations since July 2021 as it was then that the country’s new Constitutional Assembly was appointed to draft a brand-new Constitution. Boric’s presidency is expected to back this newly-formed constitution and address issues that require immediate attention.