Thousands of Chileans took to the streets of Santiago to push the Congress to approve long-awaited social reforms in a country plagued by deep-rooted inequality.

The mass demonstration is the first that President Gabriel Boric has faced since taking power in 2022 with an ambitious program to reform the pension system, health care, education, and labor laws to tackle these disparities.

However, the reform package is semi-paralyzed in Congress, with the government unable to reach agreement with the right-wing opposition.

In 2019, rising discontent over inequality exploded into protests that started after a rise in metro fares.

Protesters demanded a change to an economic model in which health care, education and pensions were privately run and there was a massive gulf between rich and poor.

The unprecedented protests prompted congress to agree to hold a referendum on changing Chile's dictatorship-era constitution.

Despite overwhelming support for a new charter, voters twice rejected proposed drafts and Boric said he is done trying to reform it.

Boric also suffered a tough legislative setback in March last year, when lawmakers rejected a tax bill aimed at financing the expansion of the social security system.