In Chile, stagnation and stasis despite shifting politics

• Chile’s presidential election will be the first held under changed rules
• Former President Sebastian Pinera is expected to win
• Voters seem apathetic and frustrated with a sluggish economy
• Global copper prices may pick up, much to the benefit of the next president

Chile will hold a general election on November 19, 2017, and the outcome will say a great deal about the future of a political system that has remained largely unchanged since the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet ended in 1990. Conservative former President Sebastian Pinera (2010-2014) seems poised to retake the presidency. If he does, it would mark yet another country’s turn toward the right of center in what has become a continent-wide trend. Meanwhile, the nation’s economy remains stagnant, although an uptick in global copper prices suggests that fortunes may soon change, much to the benefit of the next president.