General elections were held in Chile on Sunday 13 December 2009 to elect the president, all 120 members of the Chamber of Deputies and 18 of the 38 members of the Senate were up for election. As no presidential candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held between the top two candidates—Sebastián Piñera and Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle—on Sunday 17 January 2010.Cronograma Electoral , Servel Piñera won the runoff with 52% of the vote and succeeded Michelle Bachelet on 11 March 2010.
In the Congressional elections, the centre-right Coalition for Change improved on the Alliance for Chile's result in 2005 by winning 58 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, while the governing center-left Concertación (CPD) was reduced to 57 seats. Three communist MPs were elected (Guillermo Teillier, Hugo Gutiérrez and Lautaro Carmona), while incumbent Speaker of the Chamber, Rodrigo Álvarez (UDI) was defeated by Marcela Sabat (RN).
Background Chilean politics is dominated by two main coalitions: the center-left Concert of Parties for Democracy (Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia), composed of the Christian Democrat Party, the Socialist Party, the Party for Democracy, and the Social Democrat Radical Party; and the center-right Alliance for Chile (Alianza por Chile), composed of the Independent Democratic Union and National Renewal. The Concertación selected former president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle as their candidate, while the Alianza chose former presidential candidate Sebastián Piñera, who is supported by the newly created Coalition for Change electoral group. The far-left Juntos Podemos Más pact selected former Socialist Party member Jorge Arrate as its candidate. Another former Socialist party member, deputy Marco Enríquez-Ominami (MEO), ran as independent.
Presidential candidates Candidate Endorsement Political spectrum Jorge ArrateCommunist Party of Chile Juntos Podemos MásNew Left Left Marco Enríquez-OminamiIndependent New Majority for ChileBroad Social Movement Center-left Eduardo Frei Ruiz-TagleChristian Democrat Party ConcertaciónCountry Force Center-left Sebastián PiñeraNational Renewal Coalition for Change Center-right
Coalition for Change candidate
Sebastián Piñera(RN) Both Alliance for Chile parties —RN and UDI— chose Sebastián Piñera as their candidate for president, now under the banner of a larger electoral pact, the Coalition for Change, which also includes the newly formed party ChileFirst and other minor groups.
Party pre-candidates
Party Candidate Remarks RN Sebastián Piñera Piñera participated in Hernán Büchi's 1989 presidential campaign and was later elected to the Senate. He was a potential presidential nominee in 1993, but his chances were ruined by a conflict with Evelyn Matthei that came to be known as Piñeragate. In 1999 he again attempted to be the nominee, but was defeated in the convention by Joaquín Lavín. In 2005 he shook the political scene by jumping into the first round independently of the UDI. Polls show him narrowly beating Frei in a runoff scenario. He was officially proclaimed by RN on 8 August 2009. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on 9 September 2009. UDI Sebastián Piñera The UDI officially proclaimed Piñera as its candidate on 22 August 2009. Piñera had been proposed as the party's candidate by the UDI's Consejo Directivo in December 2008.
Pre-candidates: Evelyn Matthei: She is the daughter of Air Force General Fernando Matthei, a member of the military junta that took power in the 1973 coup. She was a member of National Renewal, but in 1992 was embroiled in a conflict with Sebastián Piñera, ending with her leaving the party and joining the UDI. She has been mentioned as a potential UDI candidate, considering she is among the leading proponents of having the UDI bring its own candidate to the first round. She has said it would be "fun" to compete against Piñera. Longueira said on 9 October 2008 that she would be an excellent candidate. On 11 October 2008, she said she was willing to run for president. She announced her precandidacy on 14 October 2008.
Potential candidates: Joaquín Lavín: He earned a master's degree in economics from the University of Chicago. Afterwards, in 1992, Lavín was elected mayor of Las Condes, a stronghold of the right, with 31% of the vote and reelected in 1997 with 78% of the vote. Lavín was the presidential candidate for the UDI-RN coalition Alliance for Chile in the 1999 election. He eventually lost to PS/PPD candidate Ricardo Lagos in a runoff by 200,000 votes. Lavín again represented UDI in the 2005 presidential election, but ended in third place with 23.23% of the vote, due to the presence of another right-wing candidate in the race, Sebastián Piñera, who made it to the runoff election with 25.41% of the vote. Pablo Longueira urged him to run for a third time for the presidential elections, but he refused and ended up running for a senate seat in the Valparaíso Region which he lost.Longueira: "Lavín debe ser candidato presidencial" | Emol.com Hernán Larraín: He is a senator and former president of the UDI. Longueira said on 9 October 2008 that he would be an excellent candidate.
Declined candidacies: Hernán Büchi: A possible candidacy by the 1990 presidential candidate generated buzz within the UDI in June 2007. He has however declined a candidacy. Pablo Longueira: The senator officially launched his candidacy on 30 March 2007. He had announced his plans before the 2005 election took place. He stepped down "momentarily" due to "low party support" on 3 May 2007.Emol.com - Longueira baja por ahora su candidatura presidencial ante escaso apoyo de la UDI Jacqueline van Rysselberghe: The mayor of Concepción was proclaimed, on 11 October 2006, as candidate by five UDI deputies from the Biobío Region. She has refused to campaign for the nomination, however, preferring to concentrate on her 2008 campaign for reelection as mayor. She was reelected as Concepción mayor in October 2008. CH1 Sebastián PiñeraChileFirst decided to support Piñera on 29 March 2009 after its leader, senator Fernando Flores, declined to run for president. It officially proclaimed him on 15 August 2009.
Declined candidacies: Fernando Flores: The former minister of Salvador Allende and current senator launched a failed presidential bid for the 2005 election. He resigned from the PPD in early 2007 and launched a new party, ChileFirst. On 29 March 2009 ChileFirst decided to support Piñera after Flores declined to run for president.
Concertación candidate
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle(PDC) The Concertación selected former president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle from the Christian Democrat Party as its single candidate for president. The selection process involved a single regional primary on 5 April 2009 in the Maule and O'Higgins regions between Frei and José Antonio Gómez Urrutia from the Social Democrat Radical Party. Frei won with 65% versus 35% for Gómez. Had the percentage difference between both candidates been less than 20%, the selection process would have continued with additional primaries in other regions until 17 May.
Frei was legally proclaimed as presidential candidate by the PPD on 1 August 2009 and by the PDC, PS and PRSD on 22 August 2009. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on 12 September 2009.
Party pre-candidates
Each Concertación party selected its own pre-candidate for president. Only Frei and Gómez submitted their candidacies before the 26 January 2009 deadline.
Party Candidate Remarks PRSD José Antonio Gómez Urrutia He was proclaimed by his party on 13 November 2008. He had announced his pre-candidacy two days earlier. PDC Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle He was proclaimed by his party on 13 December 2008.
Other candidates: Pablo Lorenzini: On 16 December 2008, he said he was supporting Frei's candidacy. Marcelo Trivelli: He announced his candidacy on 10 June 2007 during a television interview. Despite his lack of a support base, he declared himself the candidate of "honesty and sincerity" and respect towards the Constitution. Trivelli received heavy criticism from his own party because of his decision to run, and many party members declared it was not the appropriate time for candidacies. Trivelli has embarked on a number of trips around the country in order to create enough support to sustain his candidacy.
Declined candidacy: Soledad Alvear: She was constantly mentioned as a potential contender in 2009 ever since she resigned from her candidacy in favor of Bachelet. Her supporters, the alvearistas, controlled most of the PDC institutions and she commanded widespread support in the party, despite the vocal opposition of fellow Senator Adolfo Zaldívar. On 6 December 2007, she was unofficially proclaimed a presidential candidate by Christian Democrat deputy Pablo Lorenzini. She declared herself a candidate on 23 June 2008 during a television interview. On 28 October 2008, she stepped out of the race for the presidency and resigned as PDC president after disappointing results in the municipal elections held two days earlier. PS Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle The PS selected Frei as its candidate on 17 January 2009. He was the only person to submit a candidacy to the PS presidential convention.
Declined candidacies: José Miguel Insulza: He declared himself a candidate on 12 December 2008. He, however, declined his candidacy on 5 January 2009, and gave his support to Frei. Ricardo Lagos: His government was highly popular and his term ended with approval ratings around 60-70%. Various supporters urged him to run again in 2009. However, his popularity has lately seen a sharp fall due to the catastrophic new transport system (Transantiago), planned under his presidency. Lagos has declared all doors are open to him, but has refused to confirm whether he will participate. In March 2008, he said it was unbecoming as a former head of state to participate in a primary and would refuse to do so. On 8 November 2008, he was proclaimed unanimously by the PPD's National Directive as its candidate, but Lagos never accepted the nomination. On 2 December 2008, the PPD officially proclaimed Lagos as its candidate for the presidency. However, two days later, Lagos ruled out running for the presidency, stating in a press conference "I am not, nor will I be, a presidential candidate".Chile's Lagos bows out of presidential race PPD Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle The PPD selected Frei as its candidate on 24 January 2009, with 296 votes from the party's National Council, against seven for PRSD candidate José Antonio Gómez Urrutia. Other candidates: Sergio Bitar: In a 4 May 2007 interview with La Tercera, he said he was willing to be his party's presidential nominee if there was enough support. On 7 November 2008 he said that he is "without a doubt" willing to compete eventually for the presidency, but only if Ricardo Lagos's candidacy does not prosper. He declined his candidacy on 10 November 2008, following Lagos's proclamation by his party. Now that Lagos is out of the race, he may attempt a second run. Nicolás Eyzaguirre: He has said that he could participate if Lagos declines to, but he remained silent after Lagos declined his candidacy. Ricardo Lagos: On 4 December 2008 he ruled out running for the presidency, stating in a press conference "I am not, nor will I be, a presidential candidate". Independentcandidates None Failed candidacies: Marco Enríquez-Ominami: On 15 December 2008, he announced he was available to compete with Insulza in a Socialist Party primary. He, however, did not submit his candidacy to the PS presidential convention. On 9 January 2009, he agreed to compete in the Concertación primaries as independent after gaining the support of some council people and legislators.
Primary results