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hile’s newly inaugurated president, José Antonio Kast, has reignited debate about the country’s authoritarian past after expressing admiration for former military ruler Augusto Pinochet.

Kast was sworn in on March 11 in Valparaíso after winning December’s presidential runoff with more than 58 percent of the vote — the largest vote total in Chilean electoral history.

The symbolism of his inauguration drew attention even before the ceremony. In an official portrait released weeks earlier, Kast wore a presidential sash bearing a coat of arms not used by Chilean presidents since Pinochet’s rule.

Pinochet governed Chile from 1973 to 1990 after leading the 1973 Chilean coup d’état that overthrew democratically elected president Salvador Allende. His regime was responsible for widespread repression, with more than 3,000 people killed or disappeared and thousands more imprisoned, tortured, or forced into exile.

Kast has long been associated with a sympathetic view of the former dictator. In past campaigns he suggested that Pinochet, if alive, would likely have supported his candidacy. Critics say that admiration is also reflected in his political alliances and cabinet appointments.

Among those named to his government are lawyers who previously defended Pinochet, including Fernando Barros as defense minister and Fernando Rabat as minister of justice and human rights.

Felipe González Mac-Conell, author of Kast: The Chilean Far-Right, says the new president’s political agenda echoes elements of the Pinochet era, including neoliberal economic policies and a strong emphasis on law-and-order measures.

“What has permeated his political project is a vindication of the cultural values and economic model associated with the dictatorship,” he said.

Frustration with politics fuels support

Despite the controversy surrounding Kast’s views, analysts say his electoral success cannot be explained simply by nostalgia for authoritarian rule.

Instead, many voters appear to have supported him out of frustration with Chile’s political system and economic conditions in recent years. The country has experienced rising crime concerns, social unrest and political polarization.

Discontent grew during the presidency of Kast’s predecessor, Gabriel Boric, whose ambitious reform agenda faced political resistance and economic challenges.

Kast capitalized on those frustrations by campaigning on promises of stronger security policies, tighter immigration controls and economic stability. His Republican Party positioned itself as a harder-line alternative to both the left and the traditional conservative establishment.

Jose Alejandro Godoy, a Peruvian political scientist studying democratic backsliding in Latin America, says Kast’s rise reflects a broader regional trend in which voters turn toward strong leadership when they lose faith in traditional politics.

“People feel politics is not improving their lives,” Godoy said. “In that environment, leaders who promise order and decisive action become attractive.”

Similar dynamics have appeared elsewhere in Latin America. In Brazil, former president Jair Bolsonaro openly praised the country’s past military dictatorship, while in Argentina, President Javier Milei has minimized some of the abuses committed during that country’s military rule.

Security versus democratic freedoms

Chile remains deeply divided over the legacy of Pinochet. A 2023 survey by the polling firm Mori Chile found that more than one-third of Chileans believe the 1973 coup that brought the general to power was justified.

Supporters of Kast argue that references to Pinochet reflect admiration for the economic reforms introduced during his rule, which helped transform Chile into one of Latin America’s most market-oriented economies.

Critics, however, warn that glorifying authoritarian figures risks weakening democratic norms and respect for human rights.

“The concern,” Godoy said, “is that societies may begin to trade civil liberties for promises of security and order.”

As Kast begins his presidency, Chile now faces the challenge of addressing public demands for stability while safeguarding the democratic principles that have guided the country since the end of Pinochet’s rule in 1990.

(Source: Aljazeera English)

I

n a joint effort, Mexico and Chile have submitted a case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) urging an investigation into the crimes committed against Palestinians, particularly in the ongoing genocide in Gaza involving Israel. The move comes in response to the recent escalation of violence, raising concerns about civilian targets and alleged continued crimes within the ICC’s jurisdiction.

Mexico’s Foreign Ministry highlighted the ICC as the appropriate forum to address the conflict, citing its potential to establish criminal responsibility for offenders. The action follows various reports from the United Nations documenting instances of violence that could constitute crimes under the ICC’s Rome Statute. The concern focuses on events since the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas fighters and subsequent hostilities in Gaza.

The statement emphasized that Palestine faces challenges in investigating or prosecuting crimes committed within its territory due to the near-collapse of its national justice infrastructure. Notably, Israel and the United States are not ICC members, limiting the court’s jurisdiction over their actions or territories.

Commitment to international justice

Mexico proposed that referring the case to the ICC could contribute to a peaceful resolution of the conflict and reaffirmed its commitment to international justice, genocide prevention, and addressing war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The statement endorsed a two-state solution, expressing hope that these actions would lead to an immediate ceasefire and contribute to lasting peace in the region.

After more than 100 days of violence, Israel’s actions have resulted in a significant toll on Palestinians, with at least 24,448 deaths and 61,504 injuries reported as of January 17. The ICC, established in 2002, operates independently of the UN and investigates international crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.

Possible war crimes

In a related development, Chile’s Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren expressed his nation’s interest in supporting the investigation into possible war crimes, emphasizing a commitment to address violence and hold perpetrators accountable.

The ICC’s prosecutor had previously indicated that investigating potential crimes by both Hamas and Israel was a priority.

The joint action by Mexico and Chile underscores international concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the need for accountability in addressing the root causes of the conflict.

As diplomatic efforts continue, the ICC’s role in examining the alleged crimes will be closely watched, with implications for potential legal actions against those involved in the protracted violence.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The second pink tide in Latin America is ongoing as Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador won the referendum on April 10, 2022.

López Obrador, who has been serving as president since his election victory in 2018, won the referendum conducted to decide whether he should step down or finish his six-year term in September 2024. In Mexico, presidents are limited to a single term of six years in office.

Although turnout rates were meager, López Obrador won almost 90% of the votes with only 18% of the eligible voters showing up on the day.

Before the referendum, his approval rating was 60%.

Opposition parties claimed that the president could use this landslide referendum to extend his six-year term. In a video message, López Obrador said, “I’m going to continue serving until the last day of my term. I’m not going to go past that because I’m a democrat, and I’m not in favor of re-election.”

Colombia turning to the left?

Colombia offered further proof of the rising left in Latin America with Gustavo Petro winning the primary presidential election with a landslide. Petro was defeated by Ivan Duque in 2018. Since then, the country has entered a complex phase, especially with economic inequality rising due to the COVID19 pandemic.

Colombia was shaken by mass protests in 2021. Polls show that many voters are dissatisfied with the current elected leader and Petro’s chances to be elected in the upcoming elections are increasing.

On May 29, 2022, the first round of Colombia’s presidential election will be held.

Will a former guerrilla member become a president?

Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego was born in a small town in northern Colombia in 1960. His family migrated to a bigger town, where he later studied at the La Salle public school. Petro studied economics at the Universidad Externado de Colombia and after his graduation, he continued his education at Escuela Superior de Administración Pública (ESAP). Later, he earned his master’s degree in economics.

While at school, he got involved in politics and became a member of M-19, a Colombian guerrilla organization. During the 1980s, he was tortured and imprisoned for being part of the organization.

Later, the organization evolved into a political party in which Petro participated as a member in the 1990s.

In 1994, he was appointed to the Colombian embassy in Belgium as a diplomatic attaché for human rights, a position he held until 1996.

In 2002, Petro was elected to the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia, representing Bogotá, the county’s capital. Later, in 2006, he was re-elected as a senator in an election that saw the second highest voter turnout in the country.

His aspiration to become president started with the 2010 presidential election, where he ranked fourth in the election race, receiving 9.1% of the total votes.

Between 2012 and 2015, he served as mayor of Bogotá. During his tenure, there was a significant reduction in homicide rates, reaching a number that had never been seen in the previous two decades.

In the 2018 presidential election, Petro came second and lost the election to Iván Duque Márquez, the current president. However, he received eight million votes—the highest number ever to be won by a leftist candidate.

Petro is currently serving as a senator (2018-2022). In the presidential primaries on March 13, 2022, he received almost four million votes, double the number of votes won by his opponents. The 61-year-old politician became the presidential candidate for the coalition Historic Pact for Colombia by public vote.

In 2021, a poll published by Invamer showed that at least 75% of Colombians disapproved of Duque’s leadership style, making him the most unpopular leader in the country’s history.

Duque’s popularity crashed when social unrest across the country evolved into anti-government protests, killing 43 civilians in 2021.

The end of right-wing politics in Latin America?

Experts argue that the left is re-emerging in Latin America, especially after the COVID19 pandemic, which saw living conditions worsen.

After years of right-wing neoliberal dominance, many Latin American countries are moving towards left-wing politics. The movement is often referred to as the “pink tide,” which speaks of the regional change towards the left in Latin America after Hugo Chavez came to power in Venezuela in 2000.