Chile rejects Codelco privatization, President Kast approval at 34%

A new Criteria poll released on 2 August shows President José Antonio Kast’s approval slipping to 34% while disapproval rises to 55%. The same survey finds that 74% of Chileans oppose any privatization of the state‑owned copper company Codelco, a stance that has remained steady since 2018.

The poll also gauges public sentiment on the proposed Megarreforma law, with 33% viewing its effects as positive and 38% as negative. Opposition to privatizing Codelco has been voiced by the Communist Party of Chile and other left‑wing groups, who warn that selling the company would hand control of a strategic resource to private interests. Republican Party leader Arturo Squella and libertarian politician Johannes Kaiser have advocated for at least a partial sale, prompting planned protests by Chuquicamata miners on 10 August, the Day of the Miner.

Overall, the data reflects broad resistance to market‑based reforms of Chile’s key natural‑resource assets and a declining confidence in the current government.