Revista Inter-American Dialogue

Guillermo Holzmann, professor and assistant director of the Public Affairs Institute at the University of Chile:

"The Piñera government has faced the double challenge of rebuilding and also implementing its governing style. The greatest difficulties so far have been the slowness in controlling the bureaucratic apparatus of the state to carry out reconstruction efforts and the generation of a negotiating capacity in Congress. Piñera has distanced himself from his own parties, preferring to carry out appointments directly and not go through the parties, a strategy that was also
common in Concertación governments. At the same time, the Concertación has not
been able to define its own style of action as an opposition group, or its ideological identity, faced with a president who personally defines the lines of negotiation. In this scenario, it's likely that the legislative package of reconstruction measures will be approved, despite the debate over who it benefits. In his actions, Piñera has put a greater role for the state before direct benefits for the private sector, achieving an innovative public-private collaboration on reconstruction.

The question is whether he will be able make himself into an effective articulator of these projects. Meanwhile, the political parties are negotiating with each other in a new environment where theopposition is divided and the parties that support Piñera have little space to impose their own visions. In conclusion, Piñera is moving toward a more progressive plan of government, and his first 100 days have been on the whole positive. The chances for clear success are centered on the negotiations for the 2011 budget, whose principles the president has already defined, taking advantage of the cohesion and social and political backing for the post-earthquake measures." (ver enlace)