Gabriel Boric has chosen the IV Summit in Defense of Democracy, held by progressive leaders in Barcelona, to leave Chile for the first time since he left the presidency on March 11. The former left-wing president warned this morning that the world is at a turning point and that he views with concern how citizen disaffection is being exploited by authoritarian projects and, often, at the expense of freedoms and human dignity. “Democracy is not a natural state of affairs. We have to cultivate it day by day, take care of it, it is fragile and requires awareness and a lot of work to respond to our peoples,” he said at the event that brought together the host, the President of Spain, Pedro Sánchez; the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; the President of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, among other authorities united in the defense of peace, international order, and democracy.
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The Broad Front member, who participated as co-founder of the summit and moderator of the event for heads of state, emphasized the importance of wealth being distributed fairly, combating extremism, and ensuring that the digital space is not a jungle where the law of the strongest prevails. “We want not only to point out who our adversaries are because we don’t want to talk and generate fear. We want to generate proposals, hopes,” he affirmed, exemplifying that the meeting was a demonstration of this. He also highlighted that the Global Progressive Movement (GPM) forum, which has been held these days in the Catalan capital, where more than 5,000 representatives and leaders of progressive parties have gathered, is another show of strength. Among the exhibitors were former senator and daughter of former president Salvador Allende, Isabel Allende, and former spokesperson for the Boric Government, Camila Vallejo. “We are much stronger together, and for too long we have been separated,” affirmed the former president of Chile.
“The world is in a maelstrom of convulsive movement, declarations every day; war has unfortunately become an everyday word. There is a disaffection towards International Law, towards Humanitarian Law, towards something as basic as the unrestricted respect for human rights,” affirmed Boric, who, citing Sánchez, warned about the weakening of multilateralism, “which seems unable to cope with current demands.” Without naming Michelle Bachelet, a candidate to lead the United Nations with the support of Mexico and Brazil —the government of José Antonio Kast withdrew Chile’s backing—, Boric assured that the world is facing an opportunity for a woman, for the first time in 80 years of history, to lead the UN. “I hope that those of us here will be able to agree, to converse, to promote a candidacy that goes along that line,” he noted.
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In 2025, the democracy summit was held in Chile, with Boric as host, attended by Sánchez, Lula, the president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and the president of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi. The original idea of Boric, Lula, and Sánchez was to improve the coordination and cooperation of the left in the world, in contrast to the great organization they saw on the global right. Next year, as announced this Saturday, the VI edition of the summit will be in Mexico, with Sheinbaum as host.
Boric, who must leave the country with permission from Congress, will make a second trip next month to participate in the Berlin Forum Global Cooperation 2026, then will go to the Hay Festival in Wales, and will conclude the two-week tour with a meeting at the British Library in London. The former president opened an office just two days after leaving his position as president, where he carries out his work “with a view to continuing to contribute” to the country.
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