Crisis of presidentialism or crisis of the presidency? The presidential leadership of Sebastián Piñera

Abstract

This article analyzes the leadership of President Sebastián Piñera throughout the "social outbreak”, and its consequences for the political process during his second government. The guiding thesis is that presidential leadership is a crucial variable for an understanding of presidentialism and the presidency, in this case of Sebastián Piñera. Our starting point is that Piñera’s leadership is poor according to the definition of Helms (2012), since he does not have the skills required to be an effective president; this is especially the case of his weak emotional intelligence, which is an emotional disability according to the definition of Greenstein (2000). These leadership weaknesses are influenced by his experience as a businessman and his political inexperience.