Communist pact bolsters Bachelet in Chile poll. Former president is favourite to regain her position

[Catherina]

Communist pact bolsters Bachelet in Chile poll

Former president is favourite to regain her position after leftist parties bury their differences


Associated Press in Santiago
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 28 May 2013 06.27 BST


Michelle Bachelet on her departure as president in 2010. Photograph: Reuters

...

"They have decided to support a collective project that seeks to advance toward a more inclusive and fair country," Bachelet said about the Communists' support. "I'm convinced that most Chileans want an end to inequality."

Although Communists account for only about 5% of the vote, it could be crucial in a runoff. In the 1999 election, Ricardo Lagos of the Socialist party beat Joaquin Lavin, a conservative, by less than three percentage points.

In return for the Communist backing Bachelet is letting famed student activist Camila Vallejo run for Congress without a challenge from her centre-left bloc. Vallejo, who has expressed caution about backing Bachelet, is part of a push to expand Communist strength in Congress from three to 10 seats.

...

Members of the conservative governing coalition criticised Bachelet's deal with the Communists.

Former defence minister Andres Allamand said the coalition risked becoming radicalised and moving too far to the left. Former economy minister Pablo Longueira, a veteran politician who was close to Pinochet, said the Communist backing for Bachelet was a "backwards" step for Chile.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/28/chile-bachelet-communists-election

[ocpagu]

1. This may be interesting.

With the support of the Communist party, Bachelet will probably have to make concessions to the left. Perhaps this is the chance for structural reforms to be made. It's interesting to see that Camila Vallejo will run for Congress. Good luck to her. Would be wonderful if she can make changes to strengthen public education.

[Catherina]

2. I think so too. November eh?

I went to their website to see what they had to say.

(During Monday's meeting with Bachelet, we) found a match between Michelle Bachelet and the Communist Party on issues such as carrying out a tax reform, especially to finance education reform for free universal education, changes in the Constitution and political reforms (mainly breaking down the binomial electoral system), improving the quality and services in public health services, and progress on other issues such as decentralization, culture, housing, pensions, natural resources, youth, sexual and reproductive rights, etc...

...

In addition there was agreement between management and Communist presidential candidate on the need to mobilize citizens and motivating people to defeat (the opposition) in the first round and have a strong win in the primaries.

...

The Communist leader confirmed that they spoke about issues like labor reforms and change of the Constitution. He said the candidate "expressed willingness to continue working a program of labor reforms, she has already met with the Confederation of
Workers and we expect thing to move forward as much as possible along that path. "

...

In answer to the journalists' question asking if the Communist Party aims to integrate a second government of Michelle Bachelet, the President of the community responded that "so far we have decided not to discuss the issue of entering the government for a very simple reason: as the program is under construction, we want to know what will be the final program, which will appear after the primary and that will define the character of the future government. To us for now we are interested in participating in the primaries, in defeat the right for the president elections and that will open the way to install a new government with a good program that embraces the demands of citizenship. We reserve the right to participate in the future government. " PC president stressed that "this will not be another coalition government."

http://www.pcchile.cl/?p=7272

Interesting...

[ocpagu]

4. Yep.

Presidential and legislative elections will take place next november. Municipal elections happened last year, so they'll probably happen again only in 2016.

Can't wait to have Bachelet back on board.

[bemildred]

3. Yep. nt

[Starry Messenger]

5. k&r

[Judi Lynn]

6. She's perfect as Chile's President. She's been tested in the deepest sense

and has come away with far more character than the entire Chilean fascist right-wing will ever have as long as they endure.

Michelle Bachelet matters in this world.

[Peace Patriot]

7. This looks like a smart move by Batchelet and the Communist Party,

from the little I know about Chilean politics. Batchelet, who left office with an 80% approval rating (!) (not sure what it as now), has been criticized for having compromised too much with the rightwing, the 1%-er moneyed class and the transglobal corporate rulers of the western world, in her first terms as president. That, from what I have read, is why her popularity did not transfer to her chosen successor when she was termed out, which resulted in a slick rightwing billionaire (Sebastian Pinera) getting elected (who now has a 25% approval rating). Personally, Batchelet is very, very popular, but policy-wise, her socialist party did not represent the interests of the poor majority very well, and thus many workers and poor people sat on their hands in that post-Batchelet election. (Batchelet can now run again, after sitting out one term.)

An endorsement from the Communist Party may bring Batchelet a lot more voters than their 5% voter turnout suggests. Many workers and poor people who might not vote for Communist candidates may well vote for Batchelet--and feel enthusiastic about it and help get out the vote--if she moves to the left, as she appears to be doing. As for the Communist Party, it will enhance them politically--and perhaps get them more votes in the future--if their influence helps bring needed attention to, and more action on, labor and poverty issues. And if Camila Vallejo gets elected to Congress, all possibilities are open to them--even "President Camila Vallejo" at some point in the future. Vallejo is a very charismatic leader like Batchelet. It's quite interesting that Batchelet is being generous toward Vallejo. They are natural rivals in a way. But generosity, peace-making and seeking the common good are characteristics of Batchelet (and no doubt part of the reason why she had an 80% approval rating).

Batchelet was excellent on regional issues, and it will be great to have Chile back in the strong leftist coalition that now exists in South America. This will help insure the stability of the region, for one thing, because Batchelet is passionate on the matter of U.S./fascist coups.

The issue that stands out to me is Bolivia's access to the sea--a vital component of the aid that Brazil, Venezuela, Argentina and Chile gave to Bolivia after the white separatists, with open U.S. backing, tried to split Bolivia in two and take Bolivia's main resource, natural gas, with them, in late 2008. This would have amounted to a coup d'etat against Evo Morales, the first Indigenous president of Bolivia (a largely Indigenous country). The white separatists rioted, trashed buildings, and murdered and beat up Indigenous people, in their effort to tear the country apart. Batchelet first of all held an emergency meeting of Unasur, which had been formalized as a regional institution only three months before, and led the regional effort to end the rioting and hold Bolivia together. She was the first head of Unasur. She then, as Chile's contribution to Bolivia's stability, settled the one hundred year old Chile/Bolivia dispute and signed an agreement giving Bolivia access to the sea. Rightwinger Pinera ON HIS FIRST DAY IN OFFICE ripped that agreement up and has been giving Bolivia grief ever since.

Bolivia's sea access is important for their export of natural gas and other products, and for inclusion of Bolivia in the new south-south trade corridor that will be created by the new highway from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Brazil and Argentina, Bolivia's chief gas customers, made it clear to the white separatists that they would not trade with them. And the smart ones no doubt got the message that it would be to their financial benefit to stop the rioting and start being more responsible citizens and better businesspeople. Pinera apparently would rather see people destroying Bolivia and killing each other than achieving fair trade. He's a typical rightwinger in that respect.*

With Batchelet's re-election, Chile will not only re-join the leftist political coalition, but it will re-join the new movement for regional peace, regional cooperation and the common effort to "raise all boats" that is so characteristic of the leftist governments in South America. Pinera is an asshole and a trouble-maker, seeking the good of Chile's 1%. Batchelet is a progressive and a visionary, seeking the good of all.

---------------------


*(Like a lot of other people, I got a first good impression of Pinera when he went all out to save the miners who were trapped thousands of feet below the surface. He has since become an asshole.)

[Catherina]

9. Excellent post (as usual).

First, I learned a few things from your post so thank you. Second, I've been thinking that with so many students out protesting and disgusted with what neoliberalism brought Chile and other countries in Latin America, their politics are more Leftist after years of examining why they have to pay so much for something as simple as an education, and why a good education is only available to the rich (or very lucky). Just that one question opens up so many cans of worms. I agree with you that the Communist Party's endorsement "may bring a lot more voters than their 5% voter turnout suggests". The poor, the workers, the hungry, the students had a long time to think about things. I really really hope Bachelet did too.

[Peace Patriot]

8. You gotta laugh at a Pinochet crony saying this is a "backwards" step for Chile.

Communists (and all leftists) are for throwing out of airplanes and for lining up and shooting, and are real fun as torture subjects. They shouldn't be allowed to have opinions and endorse presidential candidates.

---

Former economy minister Pablo Longueira, a veteran politician who was close to Pinochet, said the Communist backing for Bachelet was a "backwards" step for Chile. --from the OP

---

Albeit a dark sort of laughter.

My rule of thumb for Bushwhacks apples to Pinochet tyrants: Whatever they say, the opposite is true; and whatever they accuse others of doing, they are doing or planning to do.

This rule of thumb has a 99.99% accuracy rate at instantly understanding the truth of a situation, when Bushwhacks are involved. What it tells us here, of course, is that the Communist backing for Batchelet is a HUGE STEP FORWARD for Chile. And Longueira and his cronies are the ones who want to take Chile backwards, into dictatorship "of, by and for" the uber-rich and and torturing and murdering leftists. It is also a sign of Chile's maturity as a democracy--far in advance of the U.S.--that small political parties have a say in governance, and that the Communist party has civil rights, dignity, respect and a voice. That's the way it should be here but the U.S.--like its old Pinochet allies--is too BACKWARDS to risk REAL democracy.