MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Local elections: Boric's ruling party loses ground after Monsalve scandal

“These elections have been sweet and sour for all sectors,” Boric argued

The recent sex scandal involving former Interior Undersecretary Manuel Monsalve took its toll Sunday on the ruling coalition of President Gabriel Boric Font during the first round of municipal elections in which the opposition UDI, RN, and Evópoli emerged as the strongest rightwing forces nationwide with victories in 121 communes. Boric's allies prevailed in 111 and the Republicans of former presidential candidate José Antonio Kast in 8, including a surprising one in Puente Alto. All in all, Chile Vamos became the strongest political force nationwide.

Arguably, one of the most important results Sunday was former minister Mario Desbordes defeating the Communist Irací Hassler in the municipality of Santiago with 51% of the vote against 28%. Chile Vamos also won over some ruling party strongholds such as Independencia, San Miguel, La Serena, Rancagua, Puerto Montt, Antofagasta, and Ñuñoa, in addition to keeping Barnechea, Vitacura, Providencia, Talca and Punta Arenas.

In Puente Alto, leftwing forces outside Boric's coalition dealt a blow to the conservative 25-year dominance by Renovación Nacional in that commune.

In this scenario, Boric highlighted that the elections were clean and that the “catastrophic forecasts did not come true.” He added that “our task now is to collaborate with all the mayors and governors.”

”As a government, we owe it to the citizens regardless of the political color of the authorities (...) We have the duty to think about the common country we are building,“ he added.

Regarding the outcome, Boric said that elections ”come and go“ and that sometimes they favor one side and sometimes ”another, and now they balance again.“

”These elections have been sweet and sour for all sectors, there is no one who can claim overwhelming results in general (...) The catastrophic forecasts from one side or the other have not been fulfilled,” he insisted.