The limits of 'broad frontism' and the rise of the far right in South America

Beyond the effects of the climate and environmental crisis, something is happening below the Equator that is also raising the political temperature in South American countries, particularly in the portion that comprises the Mercosur countries. This is the ongoing political and social polarization that is viscerally affecting Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.

 Uruguay is already governed by a right-wing neoliberal government, and in neighboring Paraguay, the right-wing Santiago Peña, of the Colorado Party, won the recent presidential elections. A local version of Bolsonaro's ideology, with the belligerent Payo Cubas, garnered about 23% of the vote.

 Let's take a quick look at the scenario, which is interspersed with a series of particularities and different political rhythms in each nation, but which share a common trait: the adherence of all local ruling classes to the neoliberal recolonization project and rent-seeking as the primary form of accumulation.

 The far right seems to be advancing on the ruins of broad-front governments or those that moderate their programs after winning at the polls.

 Chile

 In Chile, Gabriel Boric's crushing defeat, this Sunday (7), for the composition of the council that will draft a new Constitution proposal, indicates a worrying trend.

 The Republican Party (PR), a far-right party led by Antonio Kast, obtained 35% of the vote and won 22 of the 50 seats on the Constitutional Council, thus securing veto power for the far-right in the drafting of the new Constitutional Charter. Boric's coalition reached 28% of the vote and will have 17 seats on the council. In turn, the Chile Seguro coalition, which brings together politicians from the traditional right and veteran Pinochet supporters from the UDI, achieved 21% of the vote and 11 seats. In other words, right-wing blocs concentrate the majority of seats on the Constitutional Council.

 In recent months, Boric's government has suffered a series of defeats. Last September, an initial proposal to revise the Constitution was rejected in a plebiscite by more than 60% of Chilean voters. Furthermore, the government has adopted a fiscal adjustment policy that displeases large sectors of the population. It's worth remembering that Boric's government has not yet completed two years in office.

 Argentina

 President Alberto Fernández is experiencing a sharp drop in popularity: rampant inflation, high unemployment, and a subservient relationship with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are issues that are angering the working people in the face of presidential inaction. Attempts to mitigate the implementation of the neoliberal project have not pleased the majority of Argentinians.

 The situation becomes even more difficult with the political division between Peronist forces and the rise of the far right led by Javier Milei of the La Libertad Avanza party, with its ultraliberal rhetoric, which calls itself "anarcho-capitalist," strongly attracting younger voters.

 Javier Milei, who has a populist and histrionic style of acting, reminiscent of former president Jair Bolsonaro, is reaching around 20% of voting intentions in some polls for the upcoming presidential election, scheduled for October 22nd.

 The situation experienced by our neighbors is an indicator of the limitations and short lifespan of conciliatory policies and broad fronts with segments and factions of the liberal bourgeoisie.

 President Alberto Fernández has withdrawn from the reelection race, and Vice President Cristina Kirchner is the target of an intense smear campaign conducted by sectors of the Argentine judiciary—a lawfare campaign with many similarities to the process that led to President Lula's imprisonment in 2018.

 The election results in Chile and the weakening of the Argentine government are also a warning sign for leftist and popular forces in Brazil, pointing to the need to form a leftist pole to clearly contest the direction of the Lula/Alckmin "broad front" government.

 A left-leaning political bloc, in tune with popular demands, with the fight against neoliberalism and the perverse legacy of the Bolsonaro government's economic policies at its core, with a political agenda capable of awakening and mobilizing the hope of millions of Brazilians — confronting the ills of unemployment, the dismantling of public education, health and social assistance services, the terror of inflation, hunger and despair.