Chile: Socialist Party Nominees Its Presidential Candidate

Chile's Socialist Party on Thursday unanimously approved psychologist Paula Narvaez as its presidential candidate for the 2021 elections.

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She served as Government Secretariat Minister and Chief of Staff during Michelle Bachelet's second term (2014-2018). She also works as an advisor for the United Nations Women Program in Latin America.

Narvaez noted that the right-wing would deliver a "weakened" country where the economic recovery would be an "arduous and urgent" task. 

Referring to President Sebastian Piñera's mishandling of the pandemic, Narvaez warned that citizens were forced to face the economic downturn with their own means despite the Parliamentary approval of an emergency fund.

She also recalled the victims of human rights violations during the social protests in October 2019 and noted that the social outburst was "the biggest and strongest exercise of national unity" whose most concrete outcome was the plebiscite to draft a new constitution.

"Eight out of 10 Chileans made one of the greatest historical yearnings of democratic socialism a reality: a Constitution... emerging from a democratic, participatory, and inclusive institution," she stressed.

Besides the election of constituents who will draft the new Constitution, presidential primaries elections will take place on July 4. Lawmakers will be elected on Nov. 21.