Speech as President-Elect

Gabriel Boric

(We publish here in full the speech with which Gabriel Boric Font thanks the people of Chile for the enormous vote received, which makes him the youngest President the country has ever had in its history.

This act took place in Santiago, with the most massive concurrence that has ever taken place in the Alameda Bernardo O’Higgins, while in all the squares of the different cities the celebrations and joy were also massive.)

GOOD EVENING, CHILE!

PO NUI, SUMA ARUMA, PUN MAY CHILE !

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU, TO ALL THE PEOPLE, TO ALL THE PEOPLE OF CHILE.

First of all, I thank all the Chilean men and women who went to vote on this day, honouring their commitment to democracy.

In the hard and noble north. In the rainy and windy South. In the hot and fertile centre. In Rapa Nui, Juan Fernández and Chilean Antarctica. Abroad.

It does not matter whether they did it for me or for my opponent: the important thing is that they did it, that they were present, that they showed their commitment to this country that belongs to all of us. Also, of course, to the thousands of people who wanted to vote and were unable to do so because of the lack of public transport. It cannot happen again that on such an important day people are deprived of exercising their right to vote.

Also to those who made this beautiful campaign possible. Independents, social organisations and parties, to all the people who in recent weeks have organised themselves throughout Chile and abroad, from Magallanes to Arica, from Visviri to Puerto Toro to raise a citizens’ campaign that has made this victory possible. The same commitment and enthusiasm will be necessary during the years of our government so that, among all of us, we can sustain the process of change that we have already begun, step by step.

Thanks to my campaign manager, Dr. Izkia Siches, for having put everything and more into this candidacy, with so much love, so much energy and so much enthusiasm. Thanks to all the technical teams that joined this proposal, to each of the independents and parties that made this campaign possible.

Thanks to the children who, throughout this journey, filled us with love and hope, with beautiful drawings that expressed with innocence and hope the Chile they dream of. A Chile that is green and full of love, that cares for nature and animals, that recovers neighbourhood squares to play in, a Chile where fathers and mothers have more time to spend with their children and grandfathers and grandmothers are not alone at this stage of their lives. We have looked into the eyes of the children of Chile and I know that we cannot fail them.

Thanks to the women of our country. Who organized across Chile to defend the rights they have worked so hard to achieve. From the right to vote to the right to decide about their own bodies.

From the right to non-discrimination based on the type of family they have decided to form to recognition for the care work they do today. Count on us. You will be the protagonists of our government. Also to the dissidences and diversities that have been discriminated against for a long time and in this campaign have seen the few advances they have achieved threatened. In our government, non-discrimination and stopping violence against diversities and women, together with feminist organisations, will be fundamental.

I also thank the Servel for its impeccable work. It symbolises the State we need: efficient, impartial, fair. To the national and regional media for bringing information to the farthest corners of the world. A free press is the essential foundation of democracy, and you are its vehicle.

I would like to thank all the candidates who participated in this election, because in the end, democracy is made by all of us, and we need each other. To Yasna Provoste, Sebastián Sichel, Marco Enriquez Ominami, Franco Parisi, Eduardo Artes and José Antonio Kast. The future of Chile needs all of us on the same side, on the side of the people, and I hope to count on your support, your ideas and proposals to begin my government. I know that beyond the differences we have, in particular with José Antonio Kast, we will know how to build bridges between us so that our fellow countrymen and women bridges between us so that our compatriots can live better. Because what unites us is our love for Chile and its people.

And by the way, thanks to my family, my father and my mother, my two brothers, my grandparents who are no longer here. To my travelling companion Irina. You are my pillars in the dark days and you are responsible for my being here today.

You know that. I come from Magallanes, in the extreme south of Chile, almost touching Antarctica. I am 35 years old.

And I know that history does not start with us. I feel I am heir to a long historical trajectory, that of those who, from different positions, have tirelessly sought social justice, the expansion of democracy, the defence of human rights, the protection of freedoms. This is my large family, which I would like to see reunited again in this stage that we are now beginning.

Compatriots, I will be the President of all Chilean men and women. Of those who voted for this project today, of those who chose another alternative and also of those who did not vote.

The times ahead will not be easy. We will have to face the social, economic and health consequences of the worst pandemic our country has experienced in more than a century. It will be difficult, there is no doubt, but we will move forward with small but firm steps, learning from our history.

Because Chile has a short history as a nation state: barely two centuries of independent life, but rich in experiences of achievements, mistakes, successes and frustrations. Of beautiful and also difficult moments. And we have learned from that experience. Today we can be more certain about some things than before:

• That economic growth based on inequality has feet of clay: that only with social cohesion, meeting again and sharing a common ground, can we move towards true and sustained development that reaches every Chilean family and that also includes the SMEs that with so much effort are built up by honest men and women throughout the length and breadth of the country.
• That destabilising democratic institutions leads directly to the reign of abuse, the law of the jungle, and the suffering and helplessness of the weakest. We will take care of democracy, every day, every day.
• That progress, to be solid, must be the fruit of broad agreements. And that in order to last, they must always be gradual, step by step, so as not to derail or risk what each family has achieved with their efforts.
• That respect for human rights must always and everywhere be an unwavering commitment and that never, for any reason, should a president declare war on his own people. Truth, justice, reparation and non-repetition.

And there are many challenges ahead. Timely health care that does not discriminate between rich and poor by equalising access, quality and response times upwards. Decent pensions for those who have worked all their lives making our Chile great and can no longer wait, growth and fair distribution of wealth, which must go hand in hand. The drama of homelessness and access to basic services that we must address. Strengthening public education, guaranteeing workers’ rights to build a country with Decent Work and better salaries, creating a national care system that recognises and values the women who today take care, also advancing in co-responsibility and leaving behind the patriarchal heritage of our society.

The security emergency we are experiencing, making neighbourhoods safer and free of drug trafficking, putting culture in the place it deserves and not as a caboose, dignifying its workers, expanding sport, promoting science, moving towards a new relationship with indigenous peoples, recognising their right to look at the world from other linguistic and cultural perspectives, and paying special attention to care for the environment will be part of our tasks.

Because climate change, dear compatriots, is not an invention. It is here, and it has direct effects on our lives and those of future generations. It is no coincidence that it is the young people of the world who have raised their voices, from Greta to Juliet, in the face of irrational powers. We cannot look the other way when our farmers and peasants, when entire localities are deprived of water or when unique ecosystems are destroyed when we can avoid it.

Of course, not everything can be done at the same time and we will have to prioritise in order to achieve progress that will allow us to improve, step by step, the lives of our people. It will not be easy, it will not be quick, but our commitment is to advance along this path with hope and responsibility.

Chilean men and women,

We have come this far with a government project that can be summed up in a few simple words: to advance responsibly in the changes that Chile has been demanding, leaving no one behind.

This means growing economically; converting what some understand as consumer goods into social rights, guaranteeing a more peaceful and secure life, deepening the freedoms of all, and especially of all: in our government, women will not retreat in the rights and freedoms they have achieved throughout history.

Our project also means advancing in more democracy and, of course, as we have already said here, taking care of the constituent process, a source of world pride and the only way to build, in democracy and with everyone, a better country. For the first time in our history we are writing a Constitution in a democratic and equal manner, with the participation of the indigenous peoples.

Let us all take care of this process so that we have a Magna Carta that is a meeting point and not a source of division.

We are going to work as a team with all sectors. The challenges are too important for us to remain tied to the trenches. We are all needed here. The workers who forge the wealth of our country day by day. The cooperation of the business world, to build alliances, to bring our views closer together. If we are here, it is to ensure that prosperity reaches every corner of our land, and for that no one is superfluous.

On this night of triumph I repeat the commitment we made throughout the campaign: we will expand social rights and we will do so with fiscal responsibility, we will do so while taking care of our macro-economy. We will do it well and that will allow us to improve pensions and health care without having to go backwards in the future.

We will have a balanced Congress, which in turn means an invitation and an obligation to dialogue. I honestly see it as an opportunity to meet again, to unite in great deeds for the welfare of our country, to reach broad and lasting agreements to improve the quality of life of our compatriots. I trust in the responsibility of all political forces to keep differences within the framework of ideas, to always put the common good first and to clearly and unambiguously reject violence in politics.

clearly and unambiguously reject violence in politics and in our life in society.

Please know that in me you will find a President who is open to listen and to incorporate different visions, and who is also receptive to constructive criticism that will help us to improve.

Chilean men and women,

I receive this mandate with humility. I know that the future of our country is at stake in the coming years. That is why I guarantee that I will be a President who cares for democracy and does not expose it, who listens more than he speaks; who seeks unity of agreements and who attends, day by day, to the needs of the people; who fights against privileges and works every day for the quality of life of your family.

Today is a day of great happiness, but above all of great responsibility, the work ahead of us is enormous, and we need all of us. We must continue to be one, we must continue to come together to bring about the changes that the country needs so much.

This is how we will do it, by governing with all the people. Adding ideas, opening doors, building bridges. This is how we will go, step by step, building a just homeland little by little, day by day.

That is why tonight we must celebrate, but we will do so calmly. Go home with the healthy joy of the clean victory we have achieved. I ask you to take care of this triumph. Tomorrow we will have a lot of work to do to reconnect, to heal wounds, and to walk towards a better future.

With hope intact.

With the awareness of the challenges we face.

I bid you farewell with a giant hug, I will leave the best of me.

Thank you very much.

We continue.

(Courtesy: Countercurrents.org.)

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What Can We Expect from Gabriel Boric?

Courtesy: Kawsachun News

[We spoke to Bruno Sommer, founder of El Ciudadano, one of Chile’s leading progressive media outlets. We discussed what Chile and the world can expect from Gabriel Boric and the broad movement that delivered Sunday’s landslide electoral victory.]

Kawsachun News: I imagine there is still a sense of elation on the streets of Chile now!

Bruno Sommer: Of course, the victory of Boric and his Frente Amplio group is not only a victory for their sector, but for all the social movements that came out to back him. This election was unique, it had the highest rate of participation since the ‘return to democracy’. Boric is the youngest President in history, 35 years old, and received more votes than any other president since the return of democracy. His 55.9% of the vote was 12 points higher than Kast, which gives the program of transformation a better chance at governability. There’s a sense of deep joy among the left, and serious anger among the right. Kast came out to concede defeat, but his supporters are, as we say in here; ‘con un aji en el trasero’ (with a chili pepper up their behind), that is to say, they are furious. This presents a number of opportunities for the future of our country.

KN: Ideologically, Boric is a progressive, but the situation becomes more complicated when we see the array of different forces that form his electoral coalition. Who was part of this campaign?

BS: I think it’s important to start with a look at how Boric comes into politics. His first prominent role was as President of the Federation of University Students of Chile, he succeeded Camila Vallejo (now a Communist Party lawmaker) in that position. After that, he becomes a congressman and within 10 years he becomes President of the republic. He becomes a presidential candidate after a primary election, between him, representing the Frente Amplio party, versus Daniel Jadue of the Communist Party. Boric wins and becomes the candidate of the electoral front representing these two groups. During the second round, when it’s just Boric versus Kast, the old traditional parties of the transition to democracy endorse Boric, they include; PPD, the Socialist Party (PS), and even the Christian Democrat Party who are a centrist group with some sections of it even identifying as center-right.

During this second-round campaign, his coalition of support became incredibly broad and that pushed Boric towards the center politically as he sought to consolidate this majority that would allow him to obtain the overwhelming victory we saw on Sunday. This has caused great concern among the social movements that support Boric, many do not want him to work with the centrists, but it was decided that this re-orientation towards the center was a necessary step to win and therefore enact the programs of change and transformation that the left wants to see. Without a doubt, this balancing act is going to cause a number of tensions, and we’ll see them burst out in the coming months.

Another important point to remember is that Boric in and of himself, his image and power, is not enough on its own. The composition of the legislature is such that there is a tie between the opposition and progressive forces, which is an enormous obstacle to change. So, how can Boric implement those transformations he promised? Through the constituent convention, the organ that was elected to draw up the new constitution. That is the space from where important transformations can be realized. The election of Boric is the guarantee that the constituent convention will be able to work and operate for the rest of the seven months they have left before they have to present the new constitution, which will then go to a referendum. If Kast had been elected, his first act would have been to find the mechanism through which to shut down that constituent process.

KN: Do you think Boric will govern with the Communist Party? Or will he move to exclude them? They have had disagreements on issues such as Cuba and Venezuela.

BS: I think Boric will respect the agreements he has with the Communist Party. Fundamentally, Boric is a candidate of both the Frente Amplio and the Communist Party. All the traditional parties only joined the campaign later on. Boric is the candidate of that original alliance of Frente Amplio-Communist Party. So yes, I think Boric will grant a space within government for the Communist Party, even though the centrist parts of his second-round coalition are opposed to that.

Furthermore, there was a ferocious anti-communist campaign here, Boric was labeled as a communist and attacked with all the straw man arguments that accompanies this anti-communist rhetoric in Chile. However, I think that all this narrative that’s laden with fake news has not cut through to the heart and mind of Gabriel Boric. I think he’ll provide the rightful spaces in government for the Communist Party. Beyond this current alliance, Boric himself is a close friend of and shares a generation of struggle with Camila Vallejo, with Karol Cariola. Those people are his close friends at a personal level, and they are two key members of the Communist Party. I’m sure that they will be made cabinet ministers, and I’m sure that other ministries will be led by members of the Communist Party. I can’t say how many! Perhaps three ministries will be in the hands of the Communist Party.

KN: Bolivians were surprised to see the opposition candidate, Kast, concede defeat graciously. Here, we’re used to the opposition mobilizing violent groups and crying ‘fraud’ as a means of explaining their lack of electoral support. Will this democratic spirit continue? Or are we likely to see a campaign of destabilization from the opposition?

BS: For the sake of my country, I sincerely hope that such a destabilization campaign does not come to pass. However, we must not be naive. The announcement by Kast was respectful and in the democratic spirit, but look at how on Monday, one day after Boric’s victory, our currency collapsed against the dollar, the stock market was plunged into chaos. Today, things have stabilized somewhat on that front, but I think that the destabilization attempts against the agenda of change will come in the form of economic asphyxiation.

I hope this doesn’t happen, but that economic war against the democratic government of Boric, if it happens, will come from within Chile rather than from outside. I don’t think that Europe will try to cut off capital flows to Chile, in fact, they will try to strengthen ties. Likewise, I’ve been told that Boric’s team has had meetings with figures of the finance sector in North America. So I think that if a destabilization campaign is launched, it will be led by capitalists within the country because some of them may have their interests affected by Boric’s agenda.

I hope we can resolve problems through democratic dialogue rather than through economic war and boycott, but we can’t be naive, we have to be ready for it. Chile’s leading capitalists not only control the banks but also the media, those private banks are the direct owners of the country’s mainstream media outlets, something which is not allowed in most countries around the world. I think it’s important that Boric has been building ties with alternative media outlets in Chile, because a battle for narrative will arise and Boric needs to be a visionary in this regard and support an effort to increase media plurality so that the public debate can be balanced and fair. We know what the position of the big media outlets will be. We know what interests they represent.

KN: Boric stated in a previous interview that he would like to establish full diplomatic relations with Bolivia. Do you think Chileans are ready to engage with Bolivia in a meaningful way, despite the history of conflict between our two countries?

BS: Inside Boric’s heart, I know that this commitment is there, that dream of Latin American unity. Despite the fact that he’s moderated his discourse with the aim of broadening his base of support for these elections. I think many Chileans also want this, but Boric will need to lead a process of education to unlearn everything we were taught as children about why we must be hostile to Bolivia, about the myth that Bolivia started the Pacific War in the 1800s, when in reality it was a war between foreign corporations that pushed our peoples into war. We have the task of writing a new official history of the Chilean people and I think Boric has a commitment to such a project.

(Kawsachun News is based in Bolivia and provides news reporting and analysis on Latin America.)