Image copyright Oles T. Kolovos/IOP Photo_POOL Image caption A rally earlier this year in front of Senator Lindsey Graham in Chile, where right-wing Hanson has a following
The far-right presidential candidate representing Chile’s centre-right minority has his eyes on winning the presidency next November.
Right-wing Michel Montero is arguing for the Chilean voting population to vote to change the constitution and allow for elected members of the executive, rather than just Senate representatives.
He wants to put all candidates through the front-runner’s vetting mechanism known as ‘candidate conduct’.
Political analyst Max Cooper of the Economist Intelligence Unit told the BBC an indicator of Montero’s popularity might be his decision to set up a WhatsApp group.
“[It’s been] used for a lot of his campaigns but this time the people in the group are talking about international affairs, which I think was something that was quite new for him,” he said.
Can he do it?
It’s going to be tough for Montero to outsmart Danilo Astori, the leader of the ruling Union Democratico, in November’s elections.
He’s leading in every poll but the combination of Mr Astori’s institutional skills and a “nervous” electorate could tip the balance.
But as far as they’re concerned, both candidates are chasing the same votes.
“It is positive for such a young politician that he really seems to be building a following of moderate and conservative voters,” Mr Cooper said.
“He is being supported by a lot of the national media, by radio stations and his messages are often being accompanied by photos of him with new political leaders such as Senator Lindsey Graham and Senator Marco Rubio.
“It’s really being seen as a lot of the time as an alternative to a traditional political way of doing things, as a way of organising future conservative parties around.”
Source: BBC