A Triumph of the Chilean Ultra-Right?
By Andres Kogan Valderrama
HAVANA TIMES – The results of the May 7th election of 50 constituent councilors to draft a new constitution in Chile and the huge vote obtained by the far-right Republican Party not only consolidates electorally the overwhelming rejection of the 2022 constitutional proposal, but also takes place in a context of enormous confusion and uncertainty about what could happen in the coming months, which leave us in a true limbo.
I mention it not only because of the enormous shift that the constituent process has taken, going from a body made up mainly of leftist lists, independents, and social movements, to another headed by the most recalcitrant of the Chilean pro-Pinochet right (which perfectly capitalized on the discontent and fear of Chileans). Likewise, because the Republican Party, by obtaining 23 of the 50 constituent councilors, is mandated to lead a process that they despise since its genesis during 2019, which becomes quite paradoxical and bizarre.
Hence, the result on Sunday was so good for the extreme right, compared to what the traditional right (11 councilors) and the government left obtained (16 councilors), that all eyes will be on their action. The Republicans will no longer be able to have the role of challenger that it had in the previous constituent process, which gave them freedom to invent and install false news in the large concentrated media and also on the “public channel” (TVN).
For this reason, it must not be forgotten that for the Republican Party, as well as other new populist right-wingers in the world (Vox, Trump, Meloni, Bolsonaro, Milei), sustain themselves precisely by presenting themselves as a novel force outside the establishment and for questioning a politically correct discourse and the institutions that support it, where, according to them, a corrupt political caste is subordinated to a globalist ideology promoted by large international organizations.
Therefore, it is not surprising that both the intelligentsia of this ultra-right and the constituent councilors elected are convinced that what was experienced in the country during 2019 was something organized and conspired from the international left, thus denying peoples’ most important demands and a social revolt, which for them was nothing more than a criminal outbreak.
Consequently, this extreme right, faithful to its dogmatic and reactionary doctrine, opposed both the first constitutional assembly agreement of 2019 and the draft of 2022, for which reason it always rejected everything that came from it. They were able to drag the traditional right over time, the center left and the big information media, which ended up giving them a security story, focused on uncontrolled crime and overflowing immigration, which after the rejection of the first new constitution draft in 2022, was even taken on by the government of Gabriel Boric.
Given this scenario, the ultra-right will have a political dilemma, which perhaps will hardly go well, since it will control a body that it despises, as well as the 12 agreed upon points and a preliminary draft prepared by a group of designated experts, which represents for them a design prepared by an anti-patriotic political class that wants to destroy Chile as well.
Faced with the above, that the extreme right raises a cry to the sky with some of the agreed points, such as the Social and Democratic State of Law, the recognition of indigenous peoples and the care and conservation of nature and its biodiversity, only responds to an extreme view, which firmly believes that they are part of a UN globalist agenda and cultural Marxism.
Although it will be a story taken from a National Socialist or fascist propaganda manual, they really believe it, but we will see if they are willing to continue with conspiracy and doctrinal theories to differentiate themselves from the traditional and more pragmatic right, promoting extreme norms and more neoliberal than those that already exist in the current constitution, or on the contrary, their advisors will adapt to the constitutional body and the 12 agreed points, in a more consensual and dialogue-based manner, which would betray their own identity that they have built.
In short, choose either of the two paths, the Republicans could be exposed like never before, which must be taken advantage of by the left and progressive forces, already thinking far beyond the December constitutional plebiscite. This, given the real threat that the Republicans will continue growing and can reach the government in the next presidential election, which would give them immense power to roll back rights and democracy in the country.
I agree with much of this. Ex-president Sebastian Pinera is now on the hot seat and he will have take to a stance towards Pinochetism, in favor or opposed.
But this article is also disappointing in not being clear-eyed. The Chilean people delivered a hard slap to the Chilean left. If you look at the numbers, the government and the far-left doomed themselves when they were unable to reach an agreement with the center-left. The left chose a left-on-left civil war to be fought out in the middle of the constitutional reform, and allowed Pinochetism to have its first democratic mandate. A historical mistake selfishly chosen by left activists. the article also accuses the right of perfectly capitalizing on the fears of Chilean people——but isn’t that what politicians should be focusing, as opposed to say focusing on internal feuds between political factions?