Gabriel Boric: A project of the democratic left is possible

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said Tuesday that he will take advantage of his attendance at the IX Summit of the Americas to put forth that “it is possible to raise a project of the left that is democratic.”

The former student leader met in the morning with Eric Garcetti, mayor of Los Angeles, California, and in the afternoon, he participated in a round table organized by the United States Chamber of Commerce with invited directors of different companies. The gathering was part of the parallel activities to the IX Summit of the Americas.

“I have come to put forth, with great joy, that it is possible to build a leftist project that is democratic, that has a deep respect for human rights, that promotes inclusive growth and where no one is left behind,” said Boric. The 36-year-old Chilean president arrived to power after winning the elections by almost 12 points ahead of far-right candidate Jose Antonio Kast.

Boric added that this is what “we are carrying out in Chile” and that it seeks to develop a “Welfare State that does not discriminate according to political preferences.”

“I am not Nicolas Maduro”

The progressive president arrived in Los Angeles after completing an official trip to Ottawa, Canada. He explained that “different business leaders” have told him that they value that “Chile opted for more democracy at a time of crisis.”

According to the media outlet 24 Horas, Boric remarked on Monday in a conversation with international banking representatives: “Some say about me or about our government that we will be the next (Nicolas) Maduro or things like that: that is not true.”

“We really believe in democracy; we are truly committed to respecting human rights; we want a stronger State, but a stronger State is not possible without the private sector,” he added.

“The business people of the world understand that it is necessary to change and that it is necessary to adapt the institutions to the current times. And that is precisely, from my point of view, what the constituent process in Chile (to draft a new constitution) has sought,” Boric stressed at a press conference after the meeting with the mayor of Los Angeles.

The exclusion of Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba

The President of Chile said on Monday that the exclusion by the United States of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba from the Summit of the Americas is a “mistake”, stressing that this strategy “is not the way forward and has not produced results historically.”

“When the US excludes certain countries, what it does is reinforce the position that they have. I believe that it is a mistake and I will say it at the Summit, without for a moment failing to raise our voice to defend human rights”.

“It should not be that only thing that is talked about our American continent is our disagreements with two or three countries. We have many more issues in common,” said the former student leader.

Unlike other leaders in the region who made their attendance at the Summit subject to the participation of all hemispheric countries, Boric announced weeks ago that he would attend the event.

“I have said it ad nauseam, no country is going to save themselves alone, we have to unite to be able to have better development in our nations,” said the Chilean leader.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times