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.
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*(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.)
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