The year marks the 50th anniversary of a coup in Chile, a moment that reshaped a nation. A party aligned with Pinochet’s legacy was routed by blood and fire on September 11, 1973, while those who once defended the dictatorship’s constitutional framework now challenge the system. Chileans drift between confusion and a quiet belief that the future is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
1. bipolar country
The concept lives in the academy and the clinic. In a column on El Mostrador, German Silva Cuadra attempts to map Chile’s current moment. He notes that when the 2019–2023 period is viewed year by year, the picture becomes hard to decipher. He recalls that about 80 percent voted to change the dictatorship-era Constitution in 2020. Since then, virtually every party has faced punishment at the polls, and independents emerged as a dominant force. A hopeful 35-year-old leftist, Gabriel Boric, was elected president, but a 2022 public consultation on a constitutional proposal failed. The process looked to many like a sign of a progressive country in the making. The most surprising development was a sweeping victory for the right, the Republican Party, in the most recent elections—a genuine roller coaster of politics.
2. Role
The mass protests of October 2019 opened doors to imagining a country governed by a new Magna Carta, one that would emphasize the rule of law, environmental safeguards, and gender rights. After the constitutional proposal failed and amid lingering post-pandemic effects, rising unemployment, and inflation, headlines shifted toward security and immigration concerns, notably from Venezuela. Former member of parliament José Antonio Kast drew attention as a representative voice whose rhetoric resonated with many Chileans and gained prominence in media coverage. He has presented himself as a key figure for the far right as the 2025 presidential contest approaches, hoping to replicate a second-round victory some believed Boric would not be able to replicate in 2021.
3. New actors
Louis Silva, a renowned republican, has emerged as a central figure. Known for his sharp constitutional advice and his own compelling background, Silva, a 45-year-old lawyer and doctor of law, hails from a family linked to the capital’s affluent districts. He built momentum through social media, engaging the far right with direct, pedagogical messaging. He styled himself as a professor and even invoked a popular film saga to illustrate his stance. Silva has signaled a strong stance against proposals to legalize abortion and euthanasia, underscoring a belief that the family remains the core social unit. He is positioned as a leading advocate for family values in the Constitutional Council.
4. Anger and frustration
The results, along with the emergence of fresh faces, reflect discontent with a newly formed center-left government that has struggled to project stability. The electoral outcome also raises questions about faith in democracy to address societal and political challenges. A notable share of ballots were blank or canceled, and some voters expressed anger with chants and slogans directed at the political class. Analysts warn that this deep disillusionment, combined with a rising rightward tilt on the fringes, could pressure a president who has not yet served two full years into a broader political battle.
5. The shadow of political revenge
Boric and his allies now face a daunting question: how will a left-led government coexist with a far-right-leaning Constitutional Council and a Congress that lacks a ruling majority? In earlier debates, some warned against letting the right dominate the constitutional process, and the failed 2021 convention is cited as a cautionary tale. Yet today a minority right holds influence, and the rhetoric of representing the people remains central to the conversation. The constitutional project did not prosper, the public mood shifted, and the far right now asserts greater influence, with a clear appetite for institutional revision.