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President-Elect of Chile Receives a Squirtle as Administration's Starter Pokémon

The new President of Chile received a Squirtle as his administration's starter Pokémon. President-Elect Gabriel Boric Font has welcomed guests as he gets settled into his new role ahead of his inauguration tomorrow, including the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Japan, Kiyoshi Odawara. Odawara brought President-Elect Boric a unique gift, a plush Squirtle, when the two met in the Santiago.

The 36-year-old Boric has previously shared that he's a fan of anime and the Water-type Pokémon was his starter of choice when he played the original games. He wrote on Instagram, "I will travel all across the land, searching far and wide 🎶 Thank you Japan for this Squirtle!"

Boric won the vote against his opponent José Antonio Kast in the run-off election held on December 19. He will be the youngest president in Chilean history. He is not the only anime fan among Chilean politicians; lawmaker Pamela Jiles gained international attention in 2020 for performing the "Naruto run" through congress to celebrate the passage of a COVID-19 emergency aid measure in the lower house.

Thanks to Javiera Gracia for the news tip

Source: AS.com, Kaiju Sekai