Weekly Report - 12 October 2017 (WR-17-40)

The indigenous Mapuche may have begun their struggle to reclaim what they consider to be ancestral lands in southern Chile many decades ago, but rarely has the conflict become such a key election campaign issue. The flare-up in violence linked to the Mapuche conflict in recent weeks has led the leading presidential candidates ahead of the 19 November general election to weigh in on the issue. None more so than Sebastián Piñera, the former president (2010-2014) who is seeking re-election for the centre-right opposition Chile Vamos coalition and currently leads all voting intention polls. By heavily criticising the government’s response to rising violence, Piñera has set himself apart from some of his main presidential rivals on the centre-left.