Chile's Boric attempts relaunch as honeymoon ends abruptly

Chile’s youngest president Gabriel Boric was celebrated when he won election last year

SANTIAGO, Chile -- President Gabriel Boric of Chile is attempting to relaunch an administration that has plunged in popularity less than two months since he made headlines around the world for becoming the country’s youngest president and a possible symbol for a resurgent left wing in South America.

As opinion polls show Boric with a marked erosion of support since taking office, the 36-year-old president has declared the transition period has ended and called on his ministers act with “a sense of urgency” to deal with the demands of Chileans.

“There has been a sort of relaunching of his narrative,” said Eugenio Tironi, a Chilean sociologist. “There has been a change in tone, a change in role and the government is suddenly much more active.”

Boric said this week he was analyzing the possibility of allowing the military to assist in law enforcement duties in the violence-ridden south of the country. Dozens of truckers are blocking key roads demanding action to assure their safety in La Araucanía and Biobío regions, some 600 kilometers (360 miles) south of Chile’s capital.