SANTIAGO — Chile's lower house began to debate Thursday a move to impeach President Sebastian Pinera over allegations he failed to safeguard human rights during weeks of rioting, a political test that he is likely to survive but may still batter his teetering presidency. Small-scale protests that began in October over a hike in metro fares quickly spiraled out of control, leaving 26 dead, billions of dollars in damage and widespread allegations of abuses by security forces. The center-right Pinera, a billionaire businessman, has borne the brunt of the blame. His approval rating at the end of November plunged to just 10%, the lowest for a president since Chile's return to democracy in 1990. Even if the Thursday vote in the lower house reaches the simple majority needed to move the debate to the Senate, governing coalition lawmakers there can handily block the two-thirds vote needed for his ouster.

Source: International New York Times December 12, 2019 12:32 UTC