The Chilean presidential race is entering its final stretch and, with less than two weeks to go before the December 19 ballot, both the right-wing José Antonio Kast and the left-wing Gabriel Boric are contesting every vote in every possible space. It is the context that explains one of the greatest oddities of Chilean politics: both candidates accepted the invitation to the YouTube program of the economist Franco Parisi, who in the first round obtained 12.8% of the vote without having set foot in the country to do campaign. While Kast attended the space baptized Bad boys virtually on Sunday – made up of Parisi and three other men, Boric is summoned for Friday, although in recent hours he has questioned his attendance. It is a kind of casting call for Parisi to test the winners of the November 21 election, where Kast obtained the first majority with 27.9% and Boric won his way to the ballot with 25.83%.

Parisi is a controversial character. A 54-year-old economist, he reached almost 900,000 votes with a speech against politicians, while his formation – the People's Party – will debut in March with six deputies in Congress, in a small caucus, but with significant power given the difficulties of achieving majorities with a fragmented Parliament. Despite the fact that he is an old acquaintance of politics, because the first time he competed for La Moneda was in 2013, when he obtained 10% of the vote, his third place in the first round was one of the surprises of the choice. He resides in the United States and this 2021 he did not arrive in Chile even to register as a candidate, because he has an arrest warrant for a million-dollar alimony debt with his children, which has caused him to be rejected by the female electorate in a country where Default rates are sky-high in these types of cases. In parallel, Parisi has a pending statement before the Justice for a criminal investigation against him for a real estate business.

The excuses have varied. Shortly before the first round elections, the economist reported that due to covid-19 he would not be able to travel to Chile to vote and, indeed, he did not set foot in the territory. He doesn't seem to have needed it, given the efficient digital strategy that has allowed him to captivate a constituency that both Kast and Boric are now trying to captivate.

On Thursday of last week, Parisi invited Kast through the networks. “Important definitions are coming for Chileans and from the People's Party we want to deepen democracy by talking about proposals, not caricatures that impoverish politics. José Antonio Kast, we invite you to Bad boys this Sunday. Do you dare? ”, He wrote on Twitter. Kast confirmed his assistance immediately by the same means.

Although the leader of the Republican Party won the first round by two points over Boric, practically all the latest polls show that the deputy from the leftist Broad Front will beat him on December 19, so Kast needs to close the gap in all possible spaces. It is what explains why he constantly denounces Boric for withdrawing from debates and, according to Kast, refusing to discuss publicly.

How to Minimize Your Risk of Stroke with Diet https://t.co/mEpYPJKKqo

— Ementes Technologies Tue Jun 30 06:33:47 +0000 2020

Parisi and Kast's meeting on Sunday was watched by some 130,000 people and was remarkably cordial. They talked for about an hour and a half and Kast was careful not to open up a new problem with the women, an especially elusive electorate with his bet. “In the case of a conviction you are going to have to take charge of that situation and comply,” Kast told Parisi about the alimony owed to his children, in a conversation where there were above all coincidences on issues such as the importance of debureaucratization of the State, the strengthening of small and medium-sized enterprises and in the protection of public order and security.

In the YouTube space, Parisi reiterated on several occasions that Boric will be treated under equal conditions. But since the candidate on the left publicly accepted the invitation, a strong controversy has arisen in his sector not only because of the economist's legal problems, but also because of the risk that he will treat Boric badly in a program whose rules are not those of the professional media (on a few occasions, Parisi has even physically disqualified him). The Broad Front deputy, however, did not give any of these reasons to question his attendance at Bad boys, but rather mentioned the rumor that Kast visited Parisi on his recent tour of the United States, for which they would have an agreement prior sealing. In any case, both Kast and his advisers have publicly denied it.

Four days before the appointment, doubts are increasing in Boric's environment. His campaign manager, the doctor Izkia Siches – a very popular figure in Chile – acknowledged this Monday: “Our candidate would have to go, but I feel responsible for exposing him in a trap.”

Follow all the international information on Facebook and Twitter, or in our weekly newsletter.