(Bloomberg) -- Former head of state Michelle Bachelet ranked as Chile’s most popular politician in a new poll, fueling debate on whether she could attempt a comeback for the center-left in next year’s presidential election.
Roughly 48% of respondents said they view Bachelet positively while 45% held a negative opinion, according to a survey conducted by AtlasIntel for Bloomberg News and published Wednesday. She is better-positioned than the two presidential front-runners on the political right, Evelyn Matthei and Jose Antonio Kast, who were liked by 40% and 31% of poll participants, respectively.
Bachelet’s influence is resurging after she led Chile as the nation’s first-ever female head of state in 2006-2010 and then again in 2014-2018. A trained doctor who was exiled during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship, she has publicly denied interest in running for a third term. Still, with current President Gabriel Boric bogged down by multiple scandals and his allied parties in disarray, many voters say she is the best option to take on the right.
Pressure is rising on the center-left to define its strategy sooner rather than later after the opposition won key mayoral contests in October’s municipal vote, with moderates faring well overall. The first round of presidential elections will be on Nov. 16 and the run-off, if needed, would take place in December.
The AtlasIntel survey identified corruption, public security, inflation and immigration as the most important problems currently facing Chile.
During her time in office, Bachelet, 73, guided Chile through the aftermath of the sub-prime crisis, created government-financed pensions for the poor, gave more students access to free higher education and promoted women’s rights. She later became the United Nations’ High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Critics say that putting Bachelet forth to run for a third term would amount to a sign of desperation and stifle the development of new leadership.
Chile election laws forbid presidents from seeking consecutive terms, meaning that Boric will not be able to run for reelection next year.
AtlasIntel surveyed 1,667 people in Chile between Nov. 21-27. The poll has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of plus or minus two percentage points.
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