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1 [1] (October 5, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govegyo0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Servic Informing helegisative debat.. sinw 1914 Chile: An Overview Updated October 5, 2021 Chile, located along the Pacific coast of South America, traditionally has been one of the United States' closest partners in Latin America. The country's transition to a higher level of economic development has enabled it to play a more active role in foreign affairs, often in collaboration with the United States. Figure I. Chile at a Glance Sources: CRS Graphics; Instituto Nacional de Estadisticas; Latinobar6metro; International Monetary Fund; Trade Data Monitor; and Ministerio de Desarrollo Social y Familia. Political and Economic Situation Chile has a long democratic tradition but experienced 17 years of authoritarian rule after a 1973 military coup led by General Augusto Pinochet deposed the democratically elected Socialist government of President Salvador Allende (1970-1973). More than 3,200 people were killed or disappeared, and some 38,000 people were imprisoned and/or tortured during the Pinochet dictatorship. Chile ultimately restored a democratic system of government in 1990. A center-left coalition of parties dominated Chilean politics for two decades after the transition. President Sebastian Pinera of the center-right Let's Go Chile coalition was inaugurated to a second nonconsecutive term in March 2018. He took office pledging to enact business-friendly tax and labor reforms but struggled to move many of his proposals through Chile's fragmented Congress. Pimera effectively abandoned much of his agenda in the face of mass protests in October 2019. He has spent the past two years trying to contain social unrest while addressing the health and economic challenges posed by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. An August 2021 poll conducted by the Centro de Estudios Pdblicos found that 16% of Chileans approved of Pinera's performance in office and 68% disapproved. Social Unrest, Constitutional Refor, and Elections According to a 2020 Latinobar6metro poll, 76% of Chileans are dissatisfied with how democracy functions in their country. Although Chile has experienced significant improvements in living standards over the past 30 years, inequality remains high and most Chileans view the country's income, education, and health disparities as unjust. Chileans have registered their discontent with the status quo through repeated electoral swings, but changes in government have resulted in limited reforms to the country's economic model and its reliance on the private sector for the provision of social services. With the political system unwilling or unable to channel Chileans' preferences, many people have taken to the streets in mass mobilizations. Social unrest spiraled into violence in October 2019, when protests against an increase in transit fares in Santiago were accompanied by vandalism, arson, and looting. President Pinera's decision to declare a state of emergency and deploy the military to enforce a curfew appears to have triggered a backlash, leading millions of Chileans across the country to join the protests. In an effort to restore peace and respond to demands for a new social contract, the Pinera administration and legislators from across the political spectrum agreed to hold a plebiscite on whether to replace the Pinochet-era constitution. The plebiscite passed with overwhelming support, and in May 2021, Chileans elected a constituent assembly in which predominantly left-leaning independents hold a plurality of seats. The assembly may seek to increase the state's role in social service provision, reduce private control over water and other natural resources, grant autonomy to Indigenous peoples, and decentralize governance, among other changes. Each element of the constitution would need the approval of a two-thirds majority of the assembly, and the final draft is to be submitted to a national referendum in 2022. Chile is scheduled to hold presidential and congressional elections on November 21, 2021. In late September 2021, the Chilean polling firm Cadem found Gabriel Boric-a 35- year-old former student leader and leftist member of the Chamber of Deputies-leading the presidential race with 22% support. He was followed by Jose Antonio Kast, a rightist former member of the Chamber of Deputies (15%); Sebastiin Sichel, a former Pinera administration official nominated by the center-right ruling coalition (12%); and Yasna Provoste, senate president nominated by Chile's traditional center-left coalition (12%). If no candidate wins a majority of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates is to take place on December 19, 2021. Pan demic Response and Economic Recovery Chile confirmed its first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, leading the Pinera administration to impose a variety of containment measures. Pinera resisted calls for a national quarantine, opting to impose restrictions on municipalities and regions in accordance with local conditions to avoid

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