Chilean presidential election, 2005-2006
Encyclopedia
A presidential election took place in Chile
on Sunday, December 11, 2005. None of the four candidates received an absolute majority, thus a runoff
election among the top two candidates —Michelle Bachelet
from the Coalition of Parties for Democracy
and Sebastián Piñera
from National Renewal
— was held on Sunday, January 15, 2006. Bachelet was victorious with 53.49% of the vote. She succeeded President
Ricardo Lagos
on March 11, 2006 for a period of four years, after Congress
reformed the Constitution
in September 2005 and reduced the term from six years.
The 2005 Chilean parliamentary election
was held in conjunction with the presidential election.
Michelle Bachelet
Bachelet, who led in every major poll, served as Health Minister before President Lagos named her as Chile's first female Defense Minister in 2002. She was supported by the Coalition of Parties for Democracy
, which has governed Chile since 1990. The coalition groups four parties: the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), the Party for Democracy
(PPD), the Socialist Party
(PS), and the Social Democrat Radical Party
(PRSD).
Up until May 2005 two candidates vied for the coalition's nomination: Soledad Alvear
(PDC) and Michelle Bachelet
(PS). A primary was scheduled to be held on July 31, 2005 to choose the nominee. Political polls in Chile indicated that either candidate would trounce the right-wing Alliance nominee Joaquín Lavín
in a two-person race. The political atmosphere changed, however, when another Alianza candidate came to the scene: businessman Sebastián Piñera
from the center-right National Renewal
. This led, among other reasons, to the withdrawal of Soledad Alvear
from the Concertación nomination on May 24, 2005.
Tomás Hirsch
Hirsch, a Humanist, ran as his party's nominee for President for 1999 obtaining 0.5%. On this election he ran with the support of the political pact Together We Can Do More
, which is made up mainly of the legally constituted Communist
and Humanist parties plus other political groups and social organizations. In previous elections the candidates presented independently by the pact's parties were consistently in third place, behind the two major coalitions, and holding poll numbers in the single-digit level.
To elect a single candidate a national public survey was held on May 28, 2005. On June 5, 2005 an assembly elected Humanist Tomás Hirsch
as their final candidate. Other pre-candidates included: Julián Alcayaga (Committee for the Defense of Copper) and Nicolás García
(Block for Socialism). Two candidates withdrew before the survey and gave their support to Hirsch: Tomás Moulian (Communist) and Manuel Jacques
(Christian Left
). One candidate withdrew before the assembly: Jorge Pavez (Social Force).
Joaquín Lavín
Lavín ran as the Alliance's nominee for president in 1999, losing in a tight 2000 runoff to Lagos. Considered for a long time prior to the 2005 election as the Alliance's unique candidate, as the contest drew nearer, however, his public persona began to lose credibility, perhaps due to a mediocre mayorship of the Santiago municipality the previous years and his candidacy began to lose steam, to the point it was called into question. RN, the Alliance's other party decided to compete with Lavín with a candidate of their own (Piñera), breaking up the Alliance's unity in the election.
Sebastián Piñera
Piñera was proclaimed a candidate by its party on May 14, 2005. His nomination caused discomfort within the Independent Democrat Union
(UDI—its fellow coalition party member), as both parties were supposed to support Lavín as the single coalition candidate. A primary proposed by UDI to elect a single candidate representing the Alliance was rejected by RN. Piñera's nomination was welcomed by the public and won quick support in opinion polls.
candidate Aucán Huilcamán
registered his nomination on September 12, but it was rejected three days later by the Electoral Commission (Servicio Electoral) due to his failure to obtain the minimum number of signatures required by law for an independent candidacy. Huilcamán appealed using the argument that in the past parliamentary election there was a law created specifically to help the candidates of the Christian Democracy Party re-register their candidacies. After the support given to Huilcamán by other candidates, the government sent a bill to Congress, with immediate discussion, to extend the time of registration; a bill that would have also helped 17 other candidacies that were rejected by the Electoral Service. Nonetheless the bill was rejected by a lack of quorum
, denying Huilcamán a possible place in the ballot.
Opinion polls released after Sebastián Piñera's entrance and Soledad Alvear's withdrawal showed Michelle Bachelet leading the right-wing candidates (Piñera and Joaquín Lavín) by a wide margin, but below the 50% plus 1 vote needed to win the election, a situation that would lead to a runoff in which, according to the same polls, she would comfortably defeat any of the two right-wing candidates. Some analysts commented that in some of these polls Bachelet would indeed have obtained an absolute majority in the first round, if blanks were discarded and undecided votes were evenly distributed among candidates. However, later opinion polls released nearer the election showed a decline of Bachelet in favor of Piñera and Tomás Hirsch, showing more clearly that the election would be decided in a runoff.
The first debate, titled Foro Presidencial: Chile 2005, organized by the Latin American station CNN en Español
and the local Canal 13
, took place on October 19, at 10 p.m., at Espacio Riesco in Santiago
. It ran for one hour, giving each candidate ten minutes to answer seven questions, giving priority to national issues. There was no studio audience. It was hosted by Glenda Umaña (CNN en Español) and Constanza Santa María (Canal 13).
The second debate took place on November 16, at 10 p.m., at the CasaPiedra venue in Santiago. It was organized by Anatel (National Television Association), and was broadcast by Canal 13
, TVN, Megavisión
and Chilevisión
, with TVN in charge of production. Running for one hour and 40 minutes, a question was asked to each candidate by a panel of four journalists. The four candidates were seated behind desks on stage, instead of standing at podiums as they had done in the first debate.
) on December 27, 2005 and made the runoff election official.
On election day, at 9:30 p.m. local time, before the third preliminary results were announced, Joaquín Lavín conceded a second-place defeat in the election and said he would support Sebastián Piñera in the runoff election. Later in the day, JPM candidate Tomás Hirsch said he would nullify his vote in the upcoming runoff; an opinion which was objected by the pact's Communist wing, which said they would support Bachelet if five proposals delivered to her were accepted and incorporated into the candidate's government program; these proposals dealt with changing the electoral system and granting workers more rights.
Official and final results.
Source: Tricel http://www.tribunalcalificador.cl/ficha_noticia.php?noticia_id=72
The first opinion poll released after the first-round, published by El Mercurio
-Opina on December 18, had Bachelet with 42.8%, Piñera with 37.5% and 19.7% undecided. Later opinion polls showed similar results, except for one poll showing Piñera above Bachelet by 1%. The polls released showed on average that Bachelet maintained an advantage over Piñera above 5%, but with a large number of voters (18%) still undecided or that would not declare a preference. If this last percentage was removed from the vote, then Bachelet, the polls showed, would have won the presidency by a margin above 7%, which was accurate with the final results of the election.
-Opina, showed that Piñera won the debate with 43.3% of the preferences against 42.9% for Bachelet.
Piñera offered Bachelet to hold a second debate before the election, to discuss regional issues, but this was rejected by Bachelet's campaign team. Bachelet also turned down a radio debate with Piñera.
Final results were announced on January 30, 2006 by the Electoral Tribunal. They indicated that Michelle Bachelet won the presidency with 53.49% of the votes classified as valid, 51.98% of the total votes cast, and 45.28% support of registered voters.
Sebastián Piñera conceded defeat immediately following a government announcement made on election day that included results from 97.52% of polling stations counted.
Official and final results.
Source: Tricel http://www.tribunalcalificador.cl/admin/upload/PRESI2006.pdf (PDF)
)
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
on Sunday, December 11, 2005. None of the four candidates received an absolute majority, thus a runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
election among the top two candidates —Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
from the Coalition of Parties for Democracy
Coalition of Parties for Democracy
The Concert of Parties for Democracy , more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile, founded in 1988...
and Sebastián Piñera
Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...
from National Renewal
National Renewal (Chile)
National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
— was held on Sunday, January 15, 2006. Bachelet was victorious with 53.49% of the vote. She succeeded President
President of Chile
The President of the Republic of Chile is both the head of state and the head of government of the Republic of Chile. The President is responsible of the government and state administration...
Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Lagos
Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar is a lawyer, economist and social democrat politician, who served as president of Chile from 2000 to 2006. He won the 1999-2000 presidential election by a narrow margin in a runoff over Independent Democrat Union candidate Joaquín Lavín...
on March 11, 2006 for a period of four years, after Congress
National Congress of Chile
The National Congress is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile.The National Congress of Chile was founded on July 4, 1811...
reformed the Constitution
Constitution of Chile
In its temporary dispositions, the document ordered the transition from the former military government, with Augusto Pinochet as President of the Republic, and the Legislative Power of the Military Junta , to a civil one, with a time frame of eight...
in September 2005 and reduced the term from six years.
The 2005 Chilean parliamentary election
Chilean parliamentary election, 2005
The 2005 Chilean parliamentary election took place on December 11, 2005, in conjunction with the presidential election. All of the 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were contested, while 20 out of 38 seats in the Senate were up for election . Deputies serve for a period of four years, while...
was held in conjunction with the presidential election.
Michelle BacheletMichelle BacheletVerónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
(PSSocialist Party of ChileThe Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
)
Bachelet, who led in every major poll, served as Health Minister before President Lagos named her as Chile's first female Defense Minister in 2002. She was supported by the Coalition of Parties for DemocracyCoalition of Parties for Democracy
The Concert of Parties for Democracy , more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile, founded in 1988...
, which has governed Chile since 1990. The coalition groups four parties: the Christian Democratic Party (PDC), the Party for Democracy
Party for Democracy
The Party for Democracy is a political party in Chile; it is social democratic in its political orientation. It was founded in December 1987 by Ricardo Lagos, who aimed at forming a legal social democratic party . The party continued to function after the defeat of Pinochet...
(PPD), the Socialist Party
Socialist Party of Chile
The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...
(PS), and the Social Democrat Radical Party
Social Democrat Radical Party
The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....
(PRSD).
Up until May 2005 two candidates vied for the coalition's nomination: Soledad Alvear
Soledad Alvear
María Soledad Alvear Valenzuela , is a Chilean lawyer and Christian Democrat politician, who was a cabinet member of the Aylwin, Frei and Lagos administrations. She was president of the Christian Democrat Party from 2006-2008...
(PDC) and Michelle Bachelet
Michelle Bachelet
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country...
(PS). A primary was scheduled to be held on July 31, 2005 to choose the nominee. Political polls in Chile indicated that either candidate would trounce the right-wing Alliance nominee Joaquín Lavín
Joaquín Lavín
Joaquín José Lavín Infante is a Chilean politician and economist. He is a member of the Independent Democrat Union party and former mayor of Santiago and Las Condes municipalities of capital Santiago...
in a two-person race. The political atmosphere changed, however, when another Alianza candidate came to the scene: businessman Sebastián Piñera
Sebastián Piñera
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...
from the center-right National Renewal
National Renewal (Chile)
National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
. This led, among other reasons, to the withdrawal of Soledad Alvear
Soledad Alvear
María Soledad Alvear Valenzuela , is a Chilean lawyer and Christian Democrat politician, who was a cabinet member of the Aylwin, Frei and Lagos administrations. She was president of the Christian Democrat Party from 2006-2008...
from the Concertación nomination on May 24, 2005.
Tomás HirschTomás HirschTomás René Hirsch Goldschmidt is a leftist Chilean politician and businessman. He was the Together We Can Do More pact candidate for the 2005 Chilean presidential election, winning 5.4% of the vote.- Biography :...
(PHHumanist Party (Chile)The Humanist Party is a progressive left-wing political party in Chile, founded in 1984.In December 1990, Laura Rodríguez became the first elected representative of any Humanist Party in the world after winning a seat as part of the Concertación coalition, after Augusto Pinochet handed over...
)
Hirsch, a Humanist, ran as his party's nominee for President for 1999 obtaining 0.5%. On this election he ran with the support of the political pact Together We Can Do MoreJuntos Podemos Más
Juntos Podemos Más por Chile is a political coalition created in 2003, consisting of the Communist Party of Chile, the Humanist Party, the Christian Left Party of Chile, and several other smaller left-wing organizations.The...
, which is made up mainly of the legally constituted Communist
Communist Party of Chile
The Communist Party of Chile is a Chilean political party inspired by the thoughts of Karl Marx and Lenin. It was founded in 1922, as the continuation of the Socialist Workers Party, and in 1934 it established its youth wing, the Communist Youth of Chile .In the last legislative elections in Chile...
and Humanist parties plus other political groups and social organizations. In previous elections the candidates presented independently by the pact's parties were consistently in third place, behind the two major coalitions, and holding poll numbers in the single-digit level.
To elect a single candidate a national public survey was held on May 28, 2005. On June 5, 2005 an assembly elected Humanist Tomás Hirsch
Tomás Hirsch
Tomás René Hirsch Goldschmidt is a leftist Chilean politician and businessman. He was the Together We Can Do More pact candidate for the 2005 Chilean presidential election, winning 5.4% of the vote.- Biography :...
as their final candidate. Other pre-candidates included: Julián Alcayaga (Committee for the Defense of Copper) and Nicolás García
Nicolas Garcia
Nicolas Garcia is a Colombian footballer. He currently plays for Brooklyn Knights in the USL Premier Development League.-Career:...
(Block for Socialism). Two candidates withdrew before the survey and gave their support to Hirsch: Tomás Moulian (Communist) and Manuel Jacques
Manuel Jacques
Manuel Jacques Parraguez, is a Chilean lawyer, academic and politician. He is President of the Izquierda Cristiana and a professor at the Universidad Bolivariana de Chile....
(Christian Left
Christian Left Party (Chile)
The Christian Left Party of Chile is a Chilean left-wing political party. Founded in 1971, in its early days it was suppressed by the Pinochet dictatorship...
). One candidate withdrew before the assembly: Jorge Pavez (Social Force).
Joaquín LavínJoaquín LavínJoaquín José Lavín Infante is a Chilean politician and economist. He is a member of the Independent Democrat Union party and former mayor of Santiago and Las Condes municipalities of capital Santiago...
(UDIIndependent Democrat UnionThe Independent Democrat Union is a Chilean right-wing, conservative political party, founded in 1983. Its main inspirer was the lawyer, politician and law professor Jaime Guzmán, a former senator of the Republic of Chile from 1990 until his assassination on April 1, 1991.Its ideological origins...
)
Lavín ran as the Alliance's nominee for president in 1999, losing in a tight 2000 runoff to Lagos. Considered for a long time prior to the 2005 election as the Alliance's unique candidate, as the contest drew nearer, however, his public persona began to lose credibility, perhaps due to a mediocre mayorship of the Santiago municipality the previous years and his candidacy began to lose steam, to the point it was called into question. RN, the Alliance's other party decided to compete with Lavín with a candidate of their own (Piñera), breaking up the Alliance's unity in the election.Sebastián PiñeraSebastián PiñeraMiguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :...
(RNNational Renewal (Chile)National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement...
)
Piñera was proclaimed a candidate by its party on May 14, 2005. His nomination caused discomfort within the Independent Democrat UnionIndependent Democrat Union
The Independent Democrat Union is a Chilean right-wing, conservative political party, founded in 1983. Its main inspirer was the lawyer, politician and law professor Jaime Guzmán, a former senator of the Republic of Chile from 1990 until his assassination on April 1, 1991.Its ideological origins...
(UDI—its fellow coalition party member), as both parties were supposed to support Lavín as the single coalition candidate. A primary proposed by UDI to elect a single candidate representing the Alliance was rejected by RN. Piñera's nomination was welcomed by the public and won quick support in opinion polls.
Rejected candidacy
The independent MapucheMapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
candidate Aucán Huilcamán
Aucán Huilcamán
Aucán Huilcamán Paillama , leader of the indigenous Mapuche organization Consejo de Todas las Tierras . He intended to run for president in 2005 election, but his candidacy was not accepted as he was not able to collect enough official votes validated by public notaries.-References:...
registered his nomination on September 12, but it was rejected three days later by the Electoral Commission (Servicio Electoral) due to his failure to obtain the minimum number of signatures required by law for an independent candidacy. Huilcamán appealed using the argument that in the past parliamentary election there was a law created specifically to help the candidates of the Christian Democracy Party re-register their candidacies. After the support given to Huilcamán by other candidates, the government sent a bill to Congress, with immediate discussion, to extend the time of registration; a bill that would have also helped 17 other candidacies that were rejected by the Electoral Service. Nonetheless the bill was rejected by a lack of quorum
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
, denying Huilcamán a possible place in the ballot.
Opinion polls
Debates
There were two scheduled debates, both including all four candidates. A third televised debate was dismissed by the respective campaign teams. However, during the second debate, Tomás Hirsch said he was open to a third debate.The first debate, titled Foro Presidencial: Chile 2005, organized by the Latin American station CNN en Español
CNN en Español
CNN en Español is CNN's Spanish language news channel. On March 17, 1997, CNN launched CNN en Español, a 24-hour Spanish-language news network for the Hispanic American and United States marketplace.-Mexico programming:...
and the local Canal 13
Canal 13 (Chile)
Canal 13 , is the second oldest television station in Chile. It is owned by Luksic Group associated with the Papal Catholic University of Chile. Its inaugural transmission took place on August 21, 1959...
, took place on October 19, at 10 p.m., at Espacio Riesco in Santiago
Santiago, Chile
Santiago , also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile, and the center of its largest conurbation . It is located in the country's central valley, at an elevation of above mean sea level...
. It ran for one hour, giving each candidate ten minutes to answer seven questions, giving priority to national issues. There was no studio audience. It was hosted by Glenda Umaña (CNN en Español) and Constanza Santa María (Canal 13).
The second debate took place on November 16, at 10 p.m., at the CasaPiedra venue in Santiago. It was organized by Anatel (National Television Association), and was broadcast by Canal 13
Canal 13 (Chile)
Canal 13 , is the second oldest television station in Chile. It is owned by Luksic Group associated with the Papal Catholic University of Chile. Its inaugural transmission took place on August 21, 1959...
, TVN, Megavisión
MegaVision
MegaVision is an American company that manufactures high-end digital photographic equipment. It was founded in 1983 to create a state-of-the-art image processing computer...
and Chilevisión
Chilevisión
CHV, also known as Chilevisión, is the third oldest television station in Chile. Formerly called Teleonce and RTU , this TV station was owned by University of Chile, a Chilean state university...
, with TVN in charge of production. Running for one hour and 40 minutes, a question was asked to each candidate by a panel of four journalists. The four candidates were seated behind desks on stage, instead of standing at podiums as they had done in the first debate.
Results
The first government announcement regarding election results came at 6:30 p.m. local time (21:30 GMT), and included information from around 12% of polling stations counted. Subsequent preliminary results were announced during the day by the Interior Ministry undersecretary and published on a special Internet site. These results indicated that the election was to be decided in a runoff on January 15, 2006, in which Michelle Bachelet would face Sebastián Piñera. Official and final results, validated by the Electoral Tribunal (Tricel), were published on the Diario Oficial (official gazetteOfficial Gazette
The Official Gazette of Iraq has been the official source for the laws and resolutions passed by the Council of Representatives of Iraq since August 1922. Article 125 of the Constitution mandates that laws shall be published in the gazette and shall take effect on the date of their publication,...
) on December 27, 2005 and made the runoff election official.
On election day, at 9:30 p.m. local time, before the third preliminary results were announced, Joaquín Lavín conceded a second-place defeat in the election and said he would support Sebastián Piñera in the runoff election. Later in the day, JPM candidate Tomás Hirsch said he would nullify his vote in the upcoming runoff; an opinion which was objected by the pact's Communist wing, which said they would support Bachelet if five proposals delivered to her were accepted and incorporated into the candidate's government program; these proposals dealt with changing the electoral system and granting workers more rights.
Official and final results.
| Ballot number | Candidate | Party/ Coalition | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastián Piñera Echenique Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :... |
RN National Renewal (Chile) National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement... |
1,763,694 | 25.40 | Runoff |
| 2 | Michelle Bachelet Jeria Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country... |
PS Socialist Party of Chile The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973... /CPD Coalition of Parties for Democracy The Concert of Parties for Democracy , more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile, founded in 1988... |
3,190,691 | 45.96 | Runoff |
| 3 | Tomás Hirsch Goldschmidt Tomás Hirsch Tomás René Hirsch Goldschmidt is a leftist Chilean politician and businessman. He was the Together We Can Do More pact candidate for the 2005 Chilean presidential election, winning 5.4% of the vote.- Biography :... |
PH Humanist Party (Chile) The Humanist Party is a progressive left-wing political party in Chile, founded in 1984.In December 1990, Laura Rodríguez became the first elected representative of any Humanist Party in the world after winning a seat as part of the Concertación coalition, after Augusto Pinochet handed over... /JPM Juntos Podemos Más Juntos Podemos Más por Chile is a political coalition created in 2003, consisting of the Communist Party of Chile, the Humanist Party, the Christian Left Party of Chile, and several other smaller left-wing organizations.The... |
375,048 | 5.40 | |
| 4 | Joaquín Lavín Infante Joaquín Lavín Joaquín José Lavín Infante is a Chilean politician and economist. He is a member of the Independent Democrat Union party and former mayor of Santiago and Las Condes municipalities of capital Santiago... |
UDI | 1,612,608 | 23.22 | |
| Total valid votes | 6,942,041 | 100 | |||
| Null votes | 180,485 | 2.50 | |||
| Blank votes | 84,752 | 1.17 | |||
| Total votes | 7,207,278 | 100 | |||
| Total voters enrolled | 8,220,897 | | 87.67% turnout | |||
| Voting age population | 11,419,104 | | 71.99% registered | |||
Source: Tricel http://www.tribunalcalificador.cl/ficha_noticia.php?noticia_id=72
Opinion polls
El Mercurio
El Mercurio is a conservative Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. Its Santiago edition is considered the country's paper-of-record and its Valparaíso edition is the oldest daily in the Spanish language currently in circulation. El Mercurio is owned by El Mercurio S.A.P...
-Opina on December 18, had Bachelet with 42.8%, Piñera with 37.5% and 19.7% undecided. Later opinion polls showed similar results, except for one poll showing Piñera above Bachelet by 1%. The polls released showed on average that Bachelet maintained an advantage over Piñera above 5%, but with a large number of voters (18%) still undecided or that would not declare a preference. If this last percentage was removed from the vote, then Bachelet, the polls showed, would have won the presidency by a margin above 7%, which was accurate with the final results of the election.
Debates
Bachelet and Piñera held a televised debate on January 4, 2006, which was organized by Anatel and broadcast by the four main over-the-air television channels. A Time Research poll showed that Bachelet was the winner of the debate with 49%, against 41% for Piñera. On the other hand, another poll, by El MercurioEl Mercurio
El Mercurio is a conservative Chilean newspaper with editions in Valparaíso and Santiago. Its Santiago edition is considered the country's paper-of-record and its Valparaíso edition is the oldest daily in the Spanish language currently in circulation. El Mercurio is owned by El Mercurio S.A.P...
-Opina, showed that Piñera won the debate with 43.3% of the preferences against 42.9% for Bachelet.
Piñera offered Bachelet to hold a second debate before the election, to discuss regional issues, but this was rejected by Bachelet's campaign team. Bachelet also turned down a radio debate with Piñera.
Results
The runoff election between Michelle Bachelet and Sebastián Piñera took place on January 15, 2006.Final results were announced on January 30, 2006 by the Electoral Tribunal. They indicated that Michelle Bachelet won the presidency with 53.49% of the votes classified as valid, 51.98% of the total votes cast, and 45.28% support of registered voters.
Sebastián Piñera conceded defeat immediately following a government announcement made on election day that included results from 97.52% of polling stations counted.
Official and final results.
| Ballot number | Candidate | Party/ Coalition | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sebastián Piñera Echenique Sebastián Piñera Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique is a Chilean businessman and politician. He was elected President of Chile in January 2010, taking office in March 2010.- Education :... |
RN National Renewal (Chile) National Renewal , is a liberal conservative political party belonging to the Chilean right-wing political coalition Coalition for Change in conjunction with the Independent Democratic Union and the Chile First movement... /APC Alliance for Chile The Alliance for Chile , also known simply as The Alliance , was a coalition of right-wing Chilean political parties.The Alliance was replaced in 2009 by the Coalition for Change.... |
3,236,394 | 46.50 | |
| 2 | Michelle Bachelet Jeria Michelle Bachelet Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Social Democrat politician who was President of Chile from 11 March 2006 to 11 March 2010. She was the first woman president of her country... |
PS Socialist Party of Chile The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973... /CPD Coalition of Parties for Democracy The Concert of Parties for Democracy , more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of center-left political parties in Chile, founded in 1988... |
3,723,019 | 53.49 | President |
| Total valid votes | 6,959,413 | 100 | |||
| Null votes | 154,972 | 2.16 | |||
| Blank votes | 47,960 | 0.67 | |||
| Total votes | 7,162,345 | 100 | |||
| Total voters enrolled | 8,220,897 | | 87.12% turnout | |||
| Voting age population | 11,419,104 | | 71.99% registered | |||
Source: Tricel http://www.tribunalcalificador.cl/admin/upload/PRESI2006.pdf (PDF)
Election timeline
- January 5, 2005: Former president Eduardo FreiEduardo Frei Ruiz-TagleEduardo Alfredo Juan Bernardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle is a Chilean politician and civil engineer who was President of Chile from 1994 to 2000. He is currently Senator for Los Ríos and was President of the Senate from 2006 to 2008. He attempted a comeback as the candidate of the ruling Concertación...
declines a possible presidential candidacy. - January 14, 2005: Soledad Alvear defeats senator Adolfo Zaldívar in an internal primary, and is proclaimed presidential pre-candidate by the PDC.
- April 24, 2005: Michelle Bachelet is proclaimed presidential candidate by PRSD.
- April 27, 2005: Alvear and Bachelet hold a televised primary debate in Hualpén.
- May 14, 2005: Sebastián Piñera is proclaimed presidential candidate by National Renewal.
- May 24, 2005: Alvear declines her presidential pre-candidacy.
- June 5, 2005: Tomás Hirsch is proclaimed presidential candidate of pact Juntos Podemos Más.
- June 19, 2005: Joaquín Lavín is proclaimed presidential candidate by the Independent Democrat Union.
- July 30, 2005: Bachelet is proclaimed presidential candidate by PDC.
- August 21, 2005: Bachelet is proclaimed presidential candidate by PS and PPD.
- September 7, 2005: RN candidate Sebastián Piñera officially registers his candidacy for president.
- September 8, 2005: CPD candidate Michelle Bachelet officially registers her candidacy for president, as does UDI candidate Joaquín Lavín.
- September 11, 2005: Deadline for voters to register.
- September 12, 2005: Deadline for candidates to register and official start of campaigning. During the day, independent candidate Aucán Huilcamán officially registers his candidacy for president, as does JPM candidate Tomás Hirsch.
- September 15, 2005: The Electoral Service (Servel) rejects the candidacy of Mapuche leader Aucán Huilcamán.
- October 19, 2005: The first televised debate among all candidates takes place.
- November 11, 2005: The free televised campaign time begins with candidate receiving five minutes each; street ads are allowed.
- November 16, 2005: The second televised debate among all candidates takes place.
- December 6, 2005: Bachelet cancels her final campaign rally after five of her supporters are killed in a bus crash.
- December 9, 2005: Official campaigning ends at midnight; electoral publicity is no longer allowed.
- December 11, 2005: Election day. Voting begins at 7 AM local time (10:00 GMTGreenwich Mean TimeGreenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United...
). - December 26, 2005: The Electoral Tribunal (Tricel) publishes the final and official results of the first round election.
- December 27, 2005: First round results are published on the Official Gazette.
- January 1, 2006: Electoral campaigning for the runoff election begins. Each candidate receives two and a half minutes of free television airtime.
- January 4, 2006: The only televised debate between the two runoff candidates takes place.
- January 12, 2006: Official campaigning ends.
- January 15, 2006: Runoff election takes place. Socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet is elected President.
- January 30, 2006: The Tricel publishes the final and official results of the runoff election.
- January 30, 2006: President-elect Michelle Bachelet announces the members of her cabinet.
- March 11, 2006: President-electPresident-electAn -elect is a political candidate who has been elected to an office but who has not yet been sworn in or officially taken office. These may include an incoming president, senator, representative, governor and mayor.Analogously, the term "designate" An -elect is a political candidate who has been...
Bachelet is sworn in by the National Congress in ValparaísoValparaísoValparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
.
See also
- Politics of ChilePolitics of ChileThe politics of Chile takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a formal multi-party system that in practice behaves like a two-party one, due to binominalism. Executive power...
- List of political parties in Chile
External links
Official results from the Election Qualifier Tribunal Preliminary results from the Ministry of Interior Electoral Service (Servel) Bachelet for President official website Hirsch for President official website Lavín for President official website Piñera for President official website Electoral Stock Market (University of Chile/University of ChicagoUniversity of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
)
- Angus Reid Consultants - Election Tracker
- Intelligence brief: Chile by Dr. Michael A. Weinstein, Asian Tribune, December 21., 2005