New face of Chilean politics includes LGBTQ rights agenda

Chile’s municipal and local elections held on October 27th brought renewed attention to LGBTQ rights and diversity.

With the center-right having managed to gain prominence against the Republican Party, each party has incorporated efforts towards gay inclusion into its platforms. Some Chilean political scientists say the election shows that even though Chile is ruled by the left, the country tends to vote for the opposition coalition, the Chilean Vamos Coalition. There is.

The ruling party, grouped in Contigo Chile Mejor, experienced a setback similar to what happened in the 2021 municipal elections, losing 39 communes, including Santiago, San Miguel, Junhoa, and Independencia.

Voters in Maipu, the country’s second most populous commune, re-elected Tomas Vodanovic from President Gabriel Boric’s Frente Amplio.

The Frente Amplio also won victories in Viña del Mar and other communes, including Valparaíso, where the Chilean parliament is located.

Since 2012, openly LGBTQ candidates have emerged, some of whom have made history. Among them is Frente Amplio member Emilia Schneider, who is transgender.

Several LGBTQ candidates resonate with voters within these electoral frameworks. It not only emphasizes their identity but also their commitment to the struggle for equal social rights.

Gloria Hutto, leader of the Evolutionary Political Party (Evopoli), a member of the Chilean Vamos coalition, emphasized the importance of diversity in its agenda.

“Part of Evopoli’s challenge is inclusion and diversity, including the diversity of different sexual identity communities. Some people won, some lost, but that’s part of the challenge we’re enduring,” Hutt told the Washington Blade.

“We believe that it is also part of people’s freedom to develop their life projects without prejudice, without interference from anything other than their own identity, without interference with the development of that identity.” I believe that,” she added.

The re-election of figures such as Viña del Mar Mayor Macarena Ripamonti and Vodanovic’s success in Maipú reflect significant support for progressive policies.

“First of all, I would like to emphasize that we have seen a perfect process in which citizens have been able to express their preferences,” Frente Amplio secretary general Andres Coubre told the Blade. “We believe that these results allow us to look to the future with optimism.”

Mr. Couples emphasized the importance of LGBTQ candidates in decision-making forums.

“We believe it is important to promote them and to have them in elected positions, because we want them to be able to support the fight for equal rights and respect and promotion of diversity in institutional spaces. “Because we can bring it to fruition,” he said.

At the same time, Coubre highlighted the victory of Chilean city councilor Vladimir Muñoz, who received the most votes, as an example of progress toward more inclusive representation.

Muñoz is a member of Frente Amplio. In Maipu, he received 41,669 votes.