Chilean presidential hopeful Jeannette Jara pledges “pragmatism and mutual respect” with US President Trump despite ideological differences.
SANTIAGO: Chilean presidential hopeful Jeannette Jara has vowed to pursue “pragmatism and mutual respect” in relations with US President Donald Trump despite their deep ideological differences.
The communist candidate leads polls ahead of Sunday’s first round of voting but faces an uphill battle against far-right rivals if the election proceeds to a December 14 runoff.
Jara has attempted to downplay her communist roots during campaigning to avoid alienating voters in one of Latin America’s most open economies.
“It seems clear to me that, beyond speeches or personal stances, relations between our two countries must be based on pragmatism and mutual respect,” she told AFP in a written interview.
She added that while she may “think very differently from President Trump,” she respected the decision of US voters to elect him for a second White House term.
Jara joined the Communist Party at age 14 and served as labor minister before running as the center-left coalition’s candidate.
Chile’s left-wing relations with Washington were scarred for decades by US support for the 1973 military overthrow of socialist president Salvador Allende.
More than 3,000 people were killed during Augusto Pinochet’s subsequent 17-year dictatorship.
Since Chile’s 1990 return to democracy, relations have normalized with the United States, its second-largest trading partner.
Santiago has so far averted US threats of steep tariffs on copper, Chile’s major export.
“The bond between Chile and the United States is deep and long-standing,” Jara said.
Her far-right rivals Jose Antonio Kast and Johannes Kaiser have adopted hardline stances on immigration and security, citing both Trump and El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele as inspirations.
“What is at stake today is not just an election, but the kind of country we want to be,” Jara told AFP.
She framed the vote as a choice between continuing outgoing president Gabriel Boric’s progressive policies or returning to Pinochet’s free-market model “that privileges a few.”
Boric, barred from consecutive reelection, has repeatedly criticized Trump, including accusing him of lying about the climate crisis. – AFP
