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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 SANTIAGO 001150 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL CI
SUBJECT: CHILE: LOOKING TO THE U.S. FOR INSPIRATION ON POLITICAL 
RENEWAL 
 
REF: SANTIAGO 1062 
 
¶1.  Summary:  Young Chileans have long complained about uninspiring 
political leaders, weakening political parties, and the overall lack 
of renewal in local politics.  A glance at Chile's presidential 
candidates and other political leaders shows that, for the most 
part, individuals who emerged as leaders following Pinochet's defeat 
in 1990 remain at the forefront of Chilean politics.  In this 
context, Barack Obama's election has captured the imagination of 
Chile's younger generation of political activists and leaders who 
hope for an Obama-style political renaissance.  Three emerging 
leaders described as the "Chilean Obamas" recently described how 
politics needs to be more closely connected to people's problems and 
called for changes to Chile's voting rules to encourage more voting 
by young adults.  Unfortunately, their dreams of renewal are 
unlikely to be realized when the political elite have the most to 
lose from any voting reforms.  End Summary. 
 
Three Chilean Obamas 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  After years of stagnating politics and little political 
participation by younger Chileans, Chile has finally found an 
inspirational figure on whom to pin its hopes for renewal: 
President-elect Barack Obama.  In a seminar titled "We Need to Renew 
Chilean Politics" hosted by the independent think tank 
Independientes en Red on December 11, moderator and television 
journalist Gonzalo Feito presented three panelists as the "three 
Obamas":  Claudio Orrego, Mayor of Penalolen; Jose Antonio Kast, 
Deputy representing the southwestern district of the Santiago 
Metropolitan Region; and Felipe Harboe, former Undersecretary of 
Interior.  Although they hail from the elite upper-middle class, all 
three have a strong social focus, and interact closely with 
marginalized communities.  They are viewed as dynamic, charismatic 
personalities destined to lead the revitalization of Chile's 
political scene, and some of them seem to secretly relish the Obama 
comparison: Orrego's website includes a pop art image of him, a la 
Obama. 
 
-- Claudio Orrego; Mayor of the large and diverse Penalolen 
municipality in Santiago: 
 
Orrego, who received a Master's degree in Public Policy from 
Harvard's Kennedy School, is known as one of the "princes" of the 
centrist Christian Democratic Party (DC) - someone expected to 
inherit a powerful position within the party (Reftel).  However, 
when asked, he expressed displeasure with this royal reference, 
saying "positions of political power are not inherited, they are won 
through votes."  Orrego said he feared that the current structure 
and culture of the DC don't allow for the much needed generational 
renewal, foreshadowing his faction's poor showing at the DC national 
conference on December 13.  (Note: The DC national consensus board 
elected Deputy Juan Carlos Latorre, a Soledad Alvear confidant, as 
party president until 2010.  Referring to the princes in his 
acceptance speech, Latorre stated that no group inside the DC should 
claim that there isn't room for participation within the party.  End 
note.) 
 
-- Jose Antonio Kast; Deputy representing low-income Southwestern 
Santiago: 
Kast, a conservative Deputy from the far-right Independent 
Democratic Union (UDI) party is serving his second congressional 
term.  He participates in the Chamber of Deputies' Education, 
Family, and Youth Committees.  In his speech, Kast emphasized the 
renewed need to make sense of politics, citing "a disconnect between 
politicians and the real problems of the people" and stating that in 
Chile "leaders have little faith in innovative, enterprising 
people."  Kast is the son of German immigrants who are the founders 
of a local restaurant chain and food production company.  His 
deceased older brother Miguel Kast was a "Chicago Boy,"  (Note: The 
"Chicago Boys" were young Chilean economists who trained under 
Milton Friedman at the University of Chicago in the 1970s and then 
implemented their free market ideas during the Pinochet regime.  End 
note.) and early leader in the Pinochet government, having served as 
Minister of Labor (1980-1982). 
 
 
-- Felipe Harboe; Former Undersecretary for Interior, planning to 
run for Congress: 
 
Harboe's first public speaking appearance after stepping down a few 
weeks ago from his position as Undersecretary of Interior 
(2006-2008) proved to be his debut on the political stage.  (Note: 
Chilean law does not allow high-ranking appointed government 
officials to run for elected office within one year of holding 
appointed office.  Any officials wishing to run for Parliament had 
to resign by December 11 to be eligible for election.  End note.) 
Harboe is an active member of the Party for Democracy (PPD) and is 
their favorite to run for current Deputy Carolina Toha's seat 
representing the district of Central Santiago in next year's 
parliamentary elections.  (Note: Toha, a PPD Deputy, will not run 
 
SANTIAGO 00001150  002 OF 002 
 
 
for reelection.  She most likely will run for Senate.  End note.) 
Already speaking with the voice of a candidate, he emphasized the 
need for more access to information and civic education, calling for 
"transparency, efficacy, and efficiency." 
 
Proposals: Younger Voters and Younger Politicians 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶3.  Orrego, Kast, and Harboe all cited the need for change in 
Chile's voting procedures, where a cumbersome registration process 
and mandatory voting for registered voters keep registration rates 
low.  This rigid structure, which does not include measures for 
absentee ballots or overseas voting, is often blamed for low 
participation rates by younger adults.  (Note: Adults age 18-29 
account for less than 8% of registered voters, while making up for 
approximately 23% of the population.  End note.)  One proposal, 
supported by Orrego and Harboe, would automatically register all 
Chileans to vote on their eighteenth birthday.  In lieu of an 
automatic registration system, Kast proposed keeping registration 
voluntary, but making registration available at a wider range of 
locations (e.g. universities, identification services, DMV, etc.) 
All agree that making voting optional would encourage more young 
people to register and vote in future elections. 
 
¶4.  The three panelists encouraged the young audience to take a more 
active role in politics claiming that younger politicians would 
inspire more Chileans to vote.  Kast criticized the youngest 
leaders, mostly the university student associations, for only 
focusing on volunteer work when they should be taking political 
action.  He stated that the responsibility for making a change falls 
on the youth and that "we need not only new faces, but young faces 
in politics."  Harboe concurred, adding that "the problem is not 
politics itself, but rather the politicians."  While Orrego stated 
that the DC's old guard hasn't allowed for new politicians to take 
on higher positions within the party, Kast highlighted that UDI does 
allow for fresher faces, attributing this to the fact that UDI is a 
newer party, founded in 1983, while DC is over fifty years old.  UDI 
has already developed some initiatives to groom young emerging 
leaders for political careers.  (Note: In a November meeting between 
the conservative Jaime Guzman Foundation and E/POL Officers, 
foundation representatives highlighted their program which helps UDI 
identify recent graduates with leadership potential for mayoral and 
city council positions throughout the country.  End note.) 
 
¶5.  Comment.  Multiple polls in recent years have shown that 
Chileans want change: new faces, new leadership, and a revitalized 
group of young adults in politics.  However, the old guard 
politicians are not willing to give up their turf, claiming that 
rising stars need to focus on party unity rather than on their 
individual political careers.  In reality, chances for a Chilean 
Obama are slim.  The idea only exists in the public discourse at the 
moment; when it's time to vote, the party elite play it safe rather 
than taking risks with the unknown.  End comment. 
 
URBAN