section_path: Background/Boric presidency/2021 presidential election
section_name: 2021 presidential election
paragraph_text: 2021 presidential election
  
  The 2021 presidential election saw left-wing candidate Gabriel Boric, a former student protest leader during the 2011–2013 student protests, defeat conservative rival José Antonio Kast in a runoff. Boric's victory was attributed to widespread youth mobilization, dissatisfaction with the center-right administration of Sebastián Piñera, and economic strains following the COVID-19 pandemic. His platform emphasized social equity, feminist reforms, and a "dignified life" for marginalized groups, pledging to dismantle Chile's "patriarchal inheritance."
  
  Upon taking office in March 2022, Boric appointed Chile's first gender-balanced cabinet, with women holding 14 of the 24 ministerial positions. His administration pursued several key policy initiatives, including pension reforms aimed at replacing the privatized system established under Augusto Pinochet and a proposal to nationalize the lithium mining industry. Boric also sought to implement stricter gun control measures and expand LGBT rights, including protections for gender identity. Additionally, his government introduced progressive tax reforms focused on wealth redistribution and worked to secure approval for a new Constitution.