(AFP) – Chilean presidential hopeful Jeannette Jara, a communist, told AFP on Thursday that she would pursue “pragmatism and mutual respect” in her ties with US President Donald Trump, despite their deep ideological differences. Jara is leading polls ahead of Sunday’s first round of voting but faces an uphill battle against the far-right if, as expected, the election goes to a runoff on December 14. She has attempted to downplay her communist roots on the campaign trail to avoid alienating voters in one of Latin America’s most open economies.
Jara seemed to suggest that the “long-standing” bond between the countries might temper any clashes with Trump, who has used sanctions to punish critical left-wing administrations in Colombia and Brazil. “It seems clear to me that, beyond speeches or personal stances, relations between our two countries must be based on pragmatism and mutual respect,” she told AFP in a written interview. She added that while she may “think very differently from President Trump,” she respected the decision of US voters to elect him for a second White House term.
Jara, a former labor minister who joined the Communist Party at the age of 14, is running on behalf of a broad center-left coalition.
– ‘Not just an election’ –
The Chilean left’s relations with the United States were scarred for decades by Washington’s support for the violent 1973 overthrow by the military of democratically-elected socialist president Salvador Allende. More than 3,000 people were killed and tens of thousands of others imprisoned, tortured, or disappeared during the ensuing 17-year dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. Since Chile’s return to democracy in 1990, relations between the left and Washington, Chile’s second-biggest trading partner, have been normalized. Santiago has so far managed to avert US threats of steep tariffs on copper, its major export.
“The bond between Chile and the United States is deep and long-standing,” Jara said. It is uncertain, however, how Trump would react to a Jara presidency. Her far-right rivals, Jose Antonio Kast and Johannes Kaiser, have borrowed from Trump’s 2024 campaign with hardline stances on immigration and security. Faced with a surge in organized crime, both have also cited El Salvador’s iron-fisted President Nayib Bukele as an inspiration.
“What is at stake today is not just an election, but the kind of country we want to be,” Jara told AFP. She presented the vote as a choice for more of the progressive policies promoted by outgoing left-wing president Gabriel Boric or a return to the free-market model bequeathed by Pinochet “that privileges a few.” Boric, who is barred from seeking a second consecutive term, has been openly critical of Trump on various occasions. At a meeting of world leaders ahead of the UN climate summit in Brazil, he accused Trump of lying. “The president of the United States in the last UN assembly said that the climate crisis does not exist, and that is a lie,” he said.
– Clare BYRNE and Axl FERNANDEZ
© 2024 AFP
