MONTEVIDEO — Chile launched a preliminary investigation into a sexual harassment complaint against President Gabriel Boric on Tuesday (Nov 26) in a blow to his left-wing administration that is grappling with a separate scandal involving sexual abuse and low poll ratings.

The criminal case was confirmed on Nov 26 by the regional prosecutor's office of Magallanes in southern Chile, where the alleged harassment took place over a decade ago.

Through his lawyer, the 38-year-old Chilean president denied the allegations earlier on Tuesday, calling them "baseless".

Cristian Crisosto, who heads the Magallanes prosecutor's office said that "there is a criminal case related to the facts outlined", adding that a special team had been deployed to investigate.

The ongoing investigation marks another blow for Boric, whose leftist government has sought to prioritise issues around women's rights. His popularity has fallen in opinion polls and led to a poor performance at the ballot box in recent regional elections.

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