The Communist Party of Chile holds national congresses every four years. At these congresses, a diagnosis of the political situation is made and the party's line in response to it is defined. The PC's most recent national congress was the 27th, held in January 2025. Its analysis and conclusions are published on the party's website under the title "Resoluciones del XXVII Congreso Nacional Partido Comunista de Chile" (Resolutions of the 27th National Congress of the Communist Party of Chile). On the international front, it expresses solidarity with Cuba and Venezuela, and raises the need to strengthen relations with China (which is new, since the PC has Soviet roots). They speak of promoting a multipolar geopolitics and of the importance of Chile joining BRICS+. Then they present their central thesis on Chile: "The Congress reaffirms that the principal contradiction of this period is between neoliberalism and democracy. The neoliberal model has eroded democratic values, transforming democracy into a formal and bureaucratic instrument that does not respond to popular demands. This crisis is aggravated by the advance of neofascism, which threatens the spaces of social organization and electoral processes. The party assumes as its mission to counteract these tendencies." To fulfill this mission, it is argued that the Constitution must be changed, since the current one would defend a "neoliberal State designed to move from the public to the private, but not from the private to the public. The immediate task is to overcome the subsidiary State and replace it with a social and democratic State under the rule of law." This, of course, as a strategic step toward socialism. As for the tasks of the present, it is argued that "social mobilization is the main tool for generating structural changes, and for this the party must throw itself completely into mass organizations. This requires a clear strategy and tactics that strengthen social organizations, transforming them into spaces of collective action and transformative mobilization (…). It is essential to implement a plan of struggle at all levels, with defined objectives and monitoring mechanisms that strengthen the connection with the people and allow us to recover spaces from our adversaries." A general assessment is also made of the social uprising and the constitutional process. The following is stated: "The social revolt marked a moment of rupture, by putting the prevailing political and economic model in check. The mobilizations expressed the discontent and frustration accumulated over decades of inequality, abuse, and exclusion. These demands for dignity and social justice remain valid, opening spaces for ideological contestation and the drive for transformations (…). The party was not up to the demands of leadership during the social revolt. There was a lack of capacity for anticipation and an adequate reading of the context that would have allowed it to lead the process." This, among many other things (the document is truly worth reading), is what the government faces. Given the total political and ideological vacuum of the center-left and the Broad Front, it is correct to assume that this is the dominant line in the opposition. And the big question is what the responses of the government "coalition" led by José Antonio Kast are to this challenge. What is its national and international diagnosis? What is its strategy? What is its design for carrying out that strategy?
What we have been able to see so far is that the current administration has no answer to these questions. And, as they continue to make mistakes and wear themselves down, they will begin to be pushed toward defeat by those who do have a plan and a vision. The Communist Party has declared it until exhaustion: 2027 will be a year of mobilization and struggle. They will pounce on the government. In this scenario, the prudent thing is for either the government or some party in the government to convene its own political congress (or something similar) to try to generate a vision of strategic leadership that Kast can use. Without that, with the government adrift, what lies ahead is rough seas and distress. They have until March. NEWSLETTEROpinionSaturday, AMTense ideas, opposing views, and clear analysis: elements to reveal the issues that divide opinions and will set the agenda. By subscribing you are accepting the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies of La Tercera.