SANTIAGO: Sebastián Solorza is already a familiar face to many Chileans, having starred in a popular Netflix series and won national acting awards. Now, the 43-year-old actor with Down syndrome wants to enter the race for president in Chile’s national election this year.
Solorza is racing against the clock to gather 35,000 signatures by Aug. 18, a requirement for him to run as an independent candidate. He positions himself as a “point of balance” between the far right and the far left — a fierce ideological battle that dominates Chile’s political scene.
“I listen with my heart,” Solorza told The Associated Press, adding that his condition allows him to offer a softer communication style.
Should he enter the electoral race, his platform will focus on greater inclusion, improved health care and education, and enhanced security — a main concern of citizens who have been grappling with an unprecedented crisis of violence in recent years.
Chile will choose its new president on Nov. 16, with the campaign so far defined by the mutual attacks between the two main contestants: The far-right José Antonio Kast, who lost to current leftist president Gabriel Boric in 2021, and Jeannette Jara, the ruling coalition’s communist nominee.
