In a dramatic political reversal, Chile’s progressive government, led by President Gabriel Boric Font, suffered a critical electoral defeat on 7 May as the far-right Republican Party won the vote to select members for the country’s Constitutional Council. Now its leader José Antonio Kast, an outspoken critic of the process, will be in control of the body tasked with rewriting the dictatorship-era constitution – a demand long-championed by progressives.
The government only came to power just over a year ago, so this is a major defeat.
