The president-elect of Chile, Gabriel Boric, said this Monday (20) that he is concerned about the reaction of the markets, which registered a negative day after the victory of the leftist candidate, but that he cannot give in to “extrademocratic pressure”. “The decisions of the people of Chile should not be subject to pressures that go through different ways than democratic ones, but we are also clear about the importance of the work of risk qualifiers. We will have a firm commitment to fiscal convergence.”
On Monday (20), the dollar exchange rate reached 876 Chilean pesos (BRL 5.78), the highest value since March 2018, when the effects of the pandemic began to be felt in the economy. At the close of the market, the increase was 3.42% compared to last Friday, the biggest jump in one day since November 2008, during the international financial crisis. The IPSA index, the main index on the Santiago Stock Exchange, fell by almost 8%.
“Chile must have clear accounts and an organized macroeconomics, because otherwise, the reforms end up going backwards. Permanent expenditures must have permanent entry, we will advance in structural reforms, but step by step, so that we do not slip”, he stated, in door of the palace of La Moneda, after meeting with President Sebastián Piñera.
Despite being asked by journalists who his economy minister will be and whether his quick announcement would not help calm markets, Boric again said he would not act under pressure. “In the previous term, President Piñera only announced his ministers on January 22. I don’t think it will take that long, but neither will I do it hastily and under pressure.” Boric’s inauguration takes place on March 11, 2022.
The leftist was elected president of Chile on Sunday (19) when he defeated the ultra-rightist José Antonio Kast. Gathering the support of 4.6 million voters (55.8% against 44.1%), the name of Frente Amplio became the most voted candidate in Chilean history.
Boric arrived at the seat of government shortly before the scheduled time for the meeting, at 2 pm. There was a small crowd of supporters. Upon getting out of the car, the elected representative greeted the supporters and took some selfies. He smiled but showed signs of tiredness.
Before the private meeting, they both posed for pictures, and Piñera took a short tour, showing the newly elected historic paintings and the desk in the Presidential Audience Hall. “Welcome to La Moneda. I hope it has good government management, because Chile needs it and I know you will do it in the best possible way,” Piñera said. Boric replied that “this is a huge responsibility” and that he “hopes to measure up”.
The two shook hands. Until then, they wore masks all the time. Until Piñera instructed him to take two steps to take another photo, this time without the mask. “The pandemic was one of the topics that most occupied us and we talked about the need to pay close attention to what is happening in other parts of the world, where there is an increase in contamination”.
Asked whether he would keep the technical officials who worked on fighting the coronavirus in office, Boric said that “the things that are done in a positive way should not be changed”. Chile is the country with the highest ranking for vaccination in the region, with 85.8% of the population immunized with the two doses, and 51.6% with the third dose.
“We have to prepare ourselves to move forward with the vaccination campaign next year, with the fourth doses and the immunization of children,” stated Boric.
The president-elect was accompanied by Izkia Siches, his campaign manager and former president of the Colegio Médico de Chile, and by deputy Giorgio Jackson, his generational colleague. Both are tipped to take over ministries in Boric’s government.
Asked about the participation of women in his cabinet, the president-elect stated that “they will be protagonists”. He said, however, that quotas will not be observed in a specific way. “We are going to incorporate the best, the most capable and there will be independents. We are talking to political parties and different sectors of society. I also want to have people from regions who understand the diversity and heterogeneity of our country.”
On Social Security reform, one of the banners of his campaign, he stated that he will work “so that workers never again have to resort to their personal savings in crises as deep as the pandemic”. “A structural reform in terms of pensions and pensions is needed. Our priority is not to empty them, but to strengthen them,” he said, referring to the withdrawal of private pension funds authorized by the Chilean Congress last year.
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