Chile: The triumph of Boric and the defeat of Pinochetism. Let's not delegate the forces.
Defeating all types of maneuvers promoted by the government and emboldened Pinochetism, The workers and the people win the streets and the ballot boxes to defeat the threat of Kast. In the next few days we will analyze the statistics in depth, In this first look we want to contribute some ideas to understand what happened and also what is coming from an anti-capitalist perspective..
Polarization yes, popular victory too
Yesterday's election demonstrated first of all that there is a growing and acute social polarization and at the same time, that the fundamental initiative, at least in this case, is held by the mass movement. It is clear that in an election with only two options that conclusion is simple., but what the second round really expresses is that the hardest right and the Apruebo Dignidad candidate entered the race. (FA-PC), both from coalitions outside the traditional parties, expression of polarization within the limited menu of options of restricted democracy, arising from the transition agreed with the dictatorship and the perfidious agreement with peace.
This polarization was expressed even more, after the first round, in the spontaneous campaigns and in the severe call to attention to the center-left candidate to “come down from the tree” and register that a very important battle was ahead.
It may interest you Chile: notes on the 21N elections
The fundamental impulse was then from the multiple nuclei that emerged after the first round, with a clear task and an objective that materialized yesterday, unleashing joy and genuine popular celebration: defeat the facho and put a stop to the impulses of Pinochetism.
since morning, a reality began to travel through the most precarious communes, there were no microphones, The scandal was such that at noon the government had to hold a lying press conference, with Transport Minister Gloria Hutt, explaining that everything was in order, but the reality, as could be seen live in the streets and in the television offices of the major media outlets, It was that at the bus stops, people waited hours under the sun, and the majority of the fleet was retained in the terminals of private companies subsidized by the State, scandalous electoral interventionism, because in the wealthiest communities, where historically the right wins, there was no transfer problem. Despite the maneuvers, of terror campaigns, of the provocations, The working people gave him an electoral beating in the main towns and popular neighborhoods, the commune of Puente Alto, without going any further, pointed out a 70% of votes for Boric. On the other hand, the northern regions, who had voted in the first round for the candidate Parisi (un outsider ultra liberal), They turned in the second round for Boric. At a general level a 10% more participation than the last elections and the highest number of votes for a presidential candidate in history.
Beyond these and other data, all very important, It is essential to highlight as we said in the first round, the result expresses, in relative terms as always in history, the end of the old duopolies and the beginning of the reconstruction of the regime with a strong blow to the authoritarian sectors and the people mobilized as a fundamental actor, without radical and anti-capitalist direction yet, but present and marking the pulse even with the use of the vote.
After the defeat of Pinochetism, move forward and not retreat
At 19:00 hours the electoral victory of Apruebo Dignidad was irrevocable, 10 points of difference between candidates, equivalent to one million votes, Thus the possibility of the vote being close was kicked to the bottom of the dumpster. A Kast visibly affected from his command assumed defeat. The streets began to fill immediately and a spontaneous and massive march ran through the avenue on the way to Boric's central event, which became the president with the highest electoral votes in history..
We have already said that the strength of victory must be sought in the firm and determined activity of the working people who won the ballot.. It is important to know then, that after the celebrations and the joy of this victory, The focus should be on resolving the demands that motivated, for the positive or the negative, the historic election last Sunday. In other words, those of us who voted against the proto-fascist so as not to lose the few rights that remain and those who did so for Boric in the hope of obtaining new rights and a new Chile different from that of the 30 years, We will go to achieve those objectives.
These tasks, expressed clearly during the outbreak that Boric himself and the FA worked to contain, They are the driving force of popular impulse, A disappointment to these demands would undoubtedly strengthen the position of the right, which has found in Kast a new reference, managing to accumulate a not inconsiderable 44% and will be lurking as part of the political geography. Tensions are far from dissipating, The election fully expresses them and in the coming days working to organize the popular force independently will be more necessary than ever to participate in those fights.
Defend victory fighting to transform everything
From the Anticapitalist Movement we had a clear call to vote against Kast for everything he represents, but being deeply critical of the program and the trajectory of Gabriel Boric and his space. In his last speeches he tries to return to Allende's epic and at the same time repeat the mistakes of that one., propagandize confidence in the possibility of a “Chile united and at peace” with the human rights violators and the businessmen who for years and years looted our common goods with rifle fire., This was expressed with Piñera's call and in the event itself when proposing that bridges must be "built" with the far-right Kast.
We wait with our guard up for what is coming, organizing our forces and calling for you to join that organization. To not delegate, so that no one gives up the victory that we won with effort in some kitchen pact, we don't say it out of prejudice, but because this is evidenced by the recent past, We cannot trust anyone but our independent organization and not let go of the streets.. With the joy of the victory obtained, let's move forward until we transform everything!
By Maura Fajardo Galvez, anticapitalist movement
