Chile: 50 reforms in 100 days?

Javier Sajuria
University College London


18 December 2013

King's College London


baseline observations:


  • 62% is the highest share for a candidate in a run-off election in the Chilean history.
  • Bachelet is the first female President to be re-elected, and the first after the inclusion of universal vote.
  • Turnout is calculated around 41%-44%, which is also the lowest
  • Discussions have started on the issue of class-voting and representativeness.
  • The composition of the Congress is the more favorable that a President has had since 1990.

Baseline observations

  • Bachelet was the best evaluated politician in Chile during the entire duration of the last government.
  • Bachelet (and the NM) were efficient in taking the demands from social movements and incorporating them in their discourse.
  • Leaders from the student organisations and regional social movements have been elected for Congress:
    • Karol Cariola (Communist Party)
    • Camila Vallejo (Communist Party)
    • Giorgio Jackson (Independent - Revolución Democrática)
    • Gabriel Boric (Independent - Izquierda Autónoma)
    • Iván Fuentes (Independent -  Christian Democrat seat)

vague reforms

  1. Big Educational Reform: Some bits of it are in the manifesto (free HE), but there are still questions of implementation (specially at school level) and funding.
  2. New admission to HE for low-income students: How? Ranking? Changes in the PSU?
  3. New Social Security Act (ISAPRES): Ownership? Profits? Unilateral changes of the premiums?
  4. New Social Protection File (Ficha de Protección Social): What are the criticisms to the current one?
  5. National Council for Children: Purpose?

vague reforms

  1.  Study about changes in the pension system: (?)
  2. Youth employment plan: incentives? changes in the minimum wage?
  3. Tax reform: FUT? Corporate tax? 

big reforms

  1. Regional universities
  2. Abortion Law
  3. National Drugs Policy (Fondo Nacional de Medicamentos)
  4. State-owned AFP
  5. Multirut reform (Ownership and tax structure of corporations)
  6. 6,000 new police people
  7. New Metro lines
  8. Ministry of Culture and Heritage
  9. Ministry of Women and Gender Issues
  10. Ministry of Indigenous  Affairs 

Main conclusions

  1. Some reforms are more vague where the internal consensus is more difficult. Tax reform, education, social security are contested issues within the new ruling coalition.
  2. Bachelet has managed to navigate through these tensions during the campaign, but it is not clear how much freedom will she have against the parties forming the NM.
  3. Big reforms happen where there are big concerns (and consensus) from the citizens: Crime, working conditions, health, public transportation, universal access to education.

main conclusions

  1. The creation of new Ministries is relevant to the list of reforms.
  2. The new government has a majority in Congress, but not big enough for some structural transformations. Will have to negotiate with the independents: Giorgio Jackson, Gabriel Boric, Vlado Mirosevic, Carlos Bianchi, Antonio Horvath
  3. The Nueva Mayoría coalition will have to balance its internal struggles, mainly between the Christian Democrats and the rest.
  4. Turn to the left?
  5. The big missing reform: The new Constitution. 

Chile: 50 reforms in 100 days?

By Javier Sajuria

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Chile: 50 reforms in 100 days?

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