Chile's president confirms split with partner

Chile's new President Gabriel Boric and his girlfriend Irina Karamanos greet their supporters after a speech at La Moneda Palace in Santiago, on March 11, 2022.PHOTO/ AFP

What you need to know:

  • Boric posted on Instagram that he and Irina Karamanos, 34, decided a couple weeks ago to go separate ways "due to different visions of their future together."
  • Last week, Karamanos discussed in a TED talk "the illegitimacy of the role of first lady in contemporary democracies," and bringing about change even if it is "very uncomfortable."

Chile's President Gabriel Boric, Latin America's youngest leader, and his fellow millennial girlfriend have called it quits, he announced Thursday.

While some wonder if there's an app for a 37-year-old leftist president looking for love, Boric himself says there's no one new.

Boric posted on Instagram that he and Irina Karamanos, 34, decided a couple weeks ago to go separate ways "due to different visions of their future together."

"For those betting on the possible miseries of others, I tell them that we are fine, that neither of us has other partners, and that everything has been discussed at length," he said.

"We know that these days speculation will be the order of the day and although we would have liked to go through this in private, we both understand that it is better to tell this story ourselves."

Karamanos, a social scientist of Greek and German descent, had ruffled feathers when Boric ascended to the presidency in March, saying she wanted to give the first lady role "a contemporary look."

Last week, Karamanos discussed in a TED talk "the illegitimacy of the role of first lady in contemporary democracies," and bringing about change even if it is "very uncomfortable."

She ultimately shut down the office of the first lady, after removing the office-holder as the head of six foundations, saying they were better run by the relevant government ministries.