Chileans are divided over the shift to the right implied by the election of billionaire Sebastian Pinera as the country's next president.
The election of billionaire Sebastian Pinera as Chile's next president has left some people disgruntled in the South American nation on Monday (January 18).
His victory over ex-President Eduardo Frei is a political shift to the right after 20 years of leftist rule and is the first time the right has wrested power from the center-left Concertacion coalition since General Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship ended in 1990.
Some people said it was time for a change and were happy to see some new faces in government.
"I think a change is good. Because the Concertacion was running out of steam and there needed to be a change. I am not a follower of Pinera or Frei. But there should have been a change. Because a lot of the candidates from the Concertacion had run out of steam. There were no new faces or new opinions, nothing," said voter Cesar Vilches.
But other voters said it was time for heads to roll.
Political hardliners from the Christian Democratic Youth group, one of the supporters of the outgoing Concertacion coalition, want their party leaders to be sacked.
Members of the group took over the party offices of the Christian Democratic Party.
"This is a way of protesting. I don't think it is the best way to do it but we want to send the message that the party is still alive," Christian Democratic Party Vice President Renan Fuentealba said.
Critics say Pinera's plan depends too heavily on the private sector generating jobs and banks on a steady global recovery maintaining copper demand.
"As the Christian Democratic Youth we also have responsibility for this failure. But the president of the party, Juan Carlos Latorreque is also responsible. He has been somewhat humble. We are waiting for him to come here to the party head office with a brave face. He should not be scared. He should come and publicly recognize his errors," Christian Democratic Youth president Hector Garate said.
The protesters plastered the party offices with posters calling Pinera a "piranha".
On the outskirts of the capital Santiago, the Harvard-educated airline magnate was welcoming outgoing president Michelle Bachelet for breakfast, a Chilean tradition in which the two leaders discuss the transition process.
Pinera takes office in March and Bachelet spent 45 minutes with him before retiring without speaking to the media.
The 60-year-old Pinera has vowed to give Chile's state a business-like overhaul to boost efficiency, promising to create a million jobs and boost economic growth to average 6 percent a year.
Chile's economy shrank in 2009, its first recession in a decade.
He has also said he will maintain prudent fiscal policies and expand social programs to include Chile's large middle class, which has complained of neglect.
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