As already reported in November, the Chilean people and the revolutionary organisations in Chile struggle against the renewed electoral farce in this country.

On the 17th of December, the second phase of the presidential election took place, where the people were supposed to chose who is going to be the representative of their exploitation and oppression. Not more then 49% of the people went to the voting booths, the thief Piñera being the winner of the count. Even though Opportunism made a campaign to deceive the masses, to get them to vote “against Piñera”, to defend the conquered “social rights”, the people refused to be part of this event.

Going against the current of all opportunism (new and old) that tried to delude the masses with their rotten thesis of the lesser evil, different organizations launched a great campaign of agitation, propaganda and sabotage throughout the country during the last two months against the electoral farce, with slogans of “Do not vote, struggle” and “The people only advance by struggle”.

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The 17th of December was transformed into a combative day of protest, barricades were built in La Florida, Maipú, Milipilla and other areas in Santiago de Chile. In La Araucanía, roadblocks were created and propaganda against the election spread. Polling stations were attacked with stones and pyrotechnics. A combative demonstration was attacked by the police, but still marched on.

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The Chilean comrades of the FERP (Frente de Estudiantes Revolucionario y Popular – Revolutionary Popular Student Front) evaluate correctly:

“[…] different analyses can be carried out on what this new management of this thief Piñera will be: more repression, more imperialist plunder, more cuts to the rights of the people etc. However, we should not fall for the game of opportunism that will try to show itself as “opposition on the streets” with the sole objective of returning to their rotten posts in 4 years.

On the contrary, as long as the old State exists, there will be these struggles between the factions of the big bourgeoisie and their electoral farce, there will be fascism as a tool to combat the revolution, there will still be hunger and misery, and as long as the old State exists, the people will conquer and defend their rights with class struggle and combative, popular protest.”

Therefore, the path of the people to achieve their liberation will not be, nor has it been, to choose the “lesser evil” or the calm and graduate “reforms”, but the path of the new democratic revolution, the path which the campaign to boycott the election enlightens with concrete actions."