Analysis-Chilean voters fall back to conservative safe zone, propelling markets

After more than five years of political upheaval that threatened to polarize Chilean society, voters in Latin America's fifth-largest economy are shifting back to their traditional moderate conservatism, according to recent polls and political analysts. The shift has helped lift the Chilean stock market to record highs and comes ahead of a presidential election in November, in which centre-right candidate Evelyn Matthei is currently the front-runner. Analysts point to leftist President Gabriel Boric's moderate reform of the country's private pension system last month as a sign Chile is embracing compromise and able to pass business-friendly legislation, after several years in which a divided congress halted the president's agenda.