Chile's left and center-left face a historic defeat in the presidential runoff, where José Antonio Kast secured 58% of the votes on December 14. Analysts criticize the lack of a deep diagnosis on the failure's causes, attributing it more to management flaws in Gabriel Boric's government than to public rejection of its refundational political project.
José Antonio Kast's victory in the presidential runoff election, with 58% of the votes on December 14, marks the end of a political cycle that began in 2011 with the student movement, continued through refundational changes in Michelle Bachelet's second government, intensified by the 2019 social outburst, and culminated in the constitutional proposal rejected in the September 2022 plebiscite. This defeat, comparable to the fall of the Popular Unity in 1973, leaves Gabriel Boric's government in a coma and official candidate Jeannette Jara without viable options.
Various analyses highlight the left's lack of self-criticism. The Communist Party attributes the setback to a 'persistent gap between the transformation aspirations expressed by broad popular sectors and the government's capacity to produce a process of changes,' according to its latest Central Committee conclusions. The Broad Front admits errors but claims advances, while PPD president Jaime Quintana warns that 'the FA's lack of reflection could lead to new defeats and cause irreversible damage to the sector.' The Socialist Party president argues that the defeat cannot be attributed solely to Jara or the government, as sector parties are experiencing general decline.
Experts, including La Tercera's editorialists, argue the error lies in assuming circumstantial causes, ignoring that the refundational political project lost public adhesion, as evidenced by the overwhelming rejection of the 2022 constitutional text. This plebiscite created a new cleavage between 'Approve' and 'Reject,' prioritizing concrete solutions over radical transformations. Without deep debate, the left might opt to reactivate social mobilizations, as the PC proposes, or wait for the 'pendulum cycle' to return to power in four years, potentially sabotaging the new government and worsening national problems.
In contrast, Kast has shown post-election restraint, calling for unity and respecting Jara, underscoring the need to reduce polarization. The absence of genuine diagnosis, as Max Colodro notes, prevents the left from assuming responsibilities in the country's deterioration, especially for the poorest.
