Chile’s Boric at Loggerheads With Communist Allies On Nicaragua

(Bloomberg) -- Chile’s left is going through an identity crisis just days before the first round vote, triggered by how to react to the re-election of Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega.

The communist party and other left wing groups issued a statement yesterday supporting Ortega after several countries said the elections were a fraud. This didn’t go well with president candidate Gabriel Boric, of the Apruebo Dignidad coalition and which has the communists as one of its main allies.

“Nicaragua needs democracy, not fraudulent elections or persecution of opponents”, was Boric’s reaction on Twitter. The clash comes less than two weeks from presidential elections, set for Nov. 21, and right after some recent polls showed the conservative contender Jose Antonio Kast winning the run-off on Dec. 19. 

Some communist leaders sought to distance themselves from their own party’s view after Boric’s tweet. Deputy Karol Cariola said she would support the candidate in all his views, while party president, Guillermo Teillier, said that Boric will determine foreign policy in his potential government. 

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