Chilean presidential election, 2009 - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Chilean presidential election of 2009 was held on Sunday December 13, 2009. Based on the two-round system

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...

, since none of the candidates secured the absolute majority needed to take the presidency outright, a run-off between the two most-voted candidates —center-right 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 :...

and center-left Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle

Eduardo 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...

— was held on Sunday, January 17, 2010. Piñera, who won the runoff with about 51.6% of the vote, succeeded 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...

on March 11, 2010. Parliamentary elections

Chilean parliamentary election, 2009

Parliamentary elections were held in Chile on December 13, 2009, in conjunction with the presidential election. The totality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 18 out of 38 seats in the Senate were up for election....

took place on the same day.

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

Christian Democrat Party of Chile

The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....

, 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...

, 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...

, 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....

; and the center-right Alliance for Chile

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....

(Alianza por Chile), composed of the Independent Democrat Union

Independent 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...

and National Renewal

National Renewal

National Renewal may refer to:*National Renewal *National Renewal...

. The Concertación selected former president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle

as their candidate, while the Alianza chose former presidential candidate 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 :...

, who is supported by the newly created Coalition for Change

Coalition for Change

The Coalition for Change is a presidential and parliamentary electoral coalition that groups the supporters of President Sebastián Piñera for the 2009-2010 Chilean election...

electoral group. The far-left Juntos Podemos Más

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...

pact selected former Socialist Party member Jorge Arrate

Jorge Arrate

Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle...

as its candidate. Another former Socialist party member, deputy Marco Enríquez-Ominami

Marco Enríquez-Ominami

Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election...

(MEO), ran as independent.

Summary of candidates

The following four were the official candidates for President:

Candidate	\| Endorsement	Political spectrum
Jorge Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle... Communist Party of Chile 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...	Juntos Podemos Más 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... New Left	Left
Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election... Independent	New Majority for Chile Broad Social Movement	Center-left
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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... Christian Democrat Party Christian Democrat Party of Chile The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....	Concertación Country Force	Center-left
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 :... 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...	Coalition for Change Coalition for Change The Coalition for Change is a presidential and parliamentary electoral coalition that groups the supporters of President Sebastián Piñera for the 2009-2010 Chilean election...	Center-right

Coalition for Change candidate

	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 :... (RN National Renewal National Renewal may refer to:National Renewal National Renewal... )	Both Alliance for Chile 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.... parties —RN and UDI— chose 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 :... as their candidate for president, now under the banner of a larger electoral pact, the Coalition for Change Coalition for Change The Coalition for Change is a presidential and parliamentary electoral coalition that groups the supporters of President Sebastián Piñera for the 2009-2010 Chilean election... , which also includes the newly formed party ChileFirst and other minor groups.

Party pre-candidates

Party	Candidate	Remarks
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...	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 :...	Piñera participated in Hernán Büchi Hernán Büchi Hernán Büchi Buc is a Chilean economist and politician. He served as Minister of the Treasury under the government of Augusto Pinochet between 1985 and 1989.After the recession of the early 1980s, Büchi's appointment as Finance Minister in 1985:... '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 Evelyn Matthei Evelyn Rose Matthei Fornet is a Chilean economist and politician.Matthei entered Chilean politics in the late '80s and early '90s, as part of the National Renewal party's youth group called Patrulla Juvenil, along the future President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, and future fellow senator and... 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 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 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 August 8, 2009. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on September 9, 2009.
UDI Independent 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...	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 :...	The UDI officially proclaimed Piñera as its candidate on August 22, 2009. Piñera had been proposed as the party's candidate by the UDI's Consejo Directivo in December 2008. Pre-candidates: Evelyn Matthei Evelyn Matthei Evelyn Rose Matthei Fornet is a Chilean economist and politician.Matthei entered Chilean politics in the late '80s and early '90s, as part of the National Renewal party's youth group called Patrulla Juvenil, along the future President of Chile, Sebastián Piñera, and future fellow senator and... : She is the daughter of Air Force General Fernando Matthei Fernando Matthei Fernando Matthei Aubel is a retired Chilean Air Force General that was part of the military junta that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, after Gustavo Leigh was dismissed in 1978. Before he became a junta member, Matthei was Minister of Health of the military government... , a member of the military junta that took power in the 1973 coup. She was a member of 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... , but in 1992 was embroiled in a conflict with 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 :... , 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 October 9, 2008 that she would be an excellent candidate. On October 11, 2008, she said she was willing to run for president. She announced her precandidacy on October 14, 2008. Potential candidates: 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... : He earned a master's degree in economics Economics Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"... from the University of Chicago University 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... . Afterwards, in 1992, Lavín was elected mayor Mayor In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city.... of Las Condes Las Condes Las Condes is a commune of Chile located in Santiago Province, Santiago Metropolitan Region. The area is inhabited primarily by upper-mid to high income families... , 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 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... coalition Alliance for Chile 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.... in the 1999 election. He eventually lost to 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... /PPD 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... candidate 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... 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 the presence of another right-wing candidate in the race, 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 :... , who made it to the runoff election with 25.41% of the vote. Pablo Longueira Pablo Longueira Juan Pablo Longueira Montes in a Chilean right-wing politician, industrial civil engineer and Independent Democrat Union senator . He was previously a deputy . He launched his candidacy for president of Chile on March 30, 2007, but canceled it on May 3, 2007.-External links:* ... 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 Valparaíso Region The V Valparaíso Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions.Valparaíso Region, 2006 With the country's third highest population of 1,539,852 million in 2002 and third smallest area of , the region is Chile's second most densely populated after the Santiago Metropolitan Region... which he lost. Hernán Larraín Hernán Larraín Hernán Larraín Fernández is a conservative Chilean lawyer, university lecturer, and politician; he is a current Senator and former President of the Senate, and is also currently serving as the president of the Independent Democrat Union. Larraín was elected to the Senate representing the 11th... : He is a senator and former president of the UDI Independent 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... . Longueira said on October 9, 2008 that he would be an excellent candidate. Declined candidacies: Hernán Büchi Hernán Büchi Hernán Büchi Buc is a Chilean economist and politician. He served as Minister of the Treasury under the government of Augusto Pinochet between 1985 and 1989.After the recession of the early 1980s, Büchi's appointment as Finance Minister in 1985:... : A possible candidacy by the 1990 presidential candidate generated buzz within the UDI in June 2007. He has however declined a candidacy. Pablo Longueira Pablo Longueira Juan Pablo Longueira Montes in a Chilean right-wing politician, industrial civil engineer and Independent Democrat Union senator . He was previously a deputy . He launched his candidacy for president of Chile on March 30, 2007, but canceled it on May 3, 2007.-External links: *... : The senator officially launched his candidacy on March 30, 2007. He had announced his plans before the 2005 election took place. He stepped down "momentarily" due to "low party support" on May 3, 2007. Jacqueline van Rysselberghe Jacqueline van Rysselberghe Jacqueline van Rysselberghe Herrera is a Chilean politician and psychiatrist who graduated from the University of Concepción. She was mayor of Concepción from 2000 until her resignation in March 2010 to take the office of Indendant of the Biobío Region... : The mayor of Concepción Concepción, Chile Concepción is a city in Chile, capital of Concepción Province and of the Biobío Region or Region VIII. Greater Concepción is the second-largest conurbation in the country, with 889,725 inhabitants... was proclaimed, on October 11, 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 as reelected as Concepción mayor in October 2008.
CH1	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 :...	ChileFirst decided to support Piñera on March 29, 2009 after its leader, senator Fernando Flores Fernando Flores Carlos Fernando Flores Labra is a Chilean engineer, entrepreneur and politician. He is a former cabinet minister of president Salvador Allende and was senator for the Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá regions between 2001 and 2009... , declined to run for president. It officially proclaimed him on August 15, 2009. Declined candidacies: Fernando Flores Fernando Flores Carlos Fernando Flores Labra is a Chilean engineer, entrepreneur and politician. He is a former cabinet minister of president Salvador Allende and was senator for the Arica and Parinacota and Tarapacá regions between 2001 and 2009... : 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 March 29, 2009 ChileFirst decided to support Piñera after Flores declined to run for president.

Concertación candidate

	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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... (PDC Christian Democrat Party of Chile The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats.... )	The Concertación selected former president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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... from the Christian Democrat Party Christian Democrat Party of Chile The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats.... as its single candidate for president. The selection process involved a single regional primary on April 5, 2009 in the Maule Maule Region The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2... and O'Higgins O'Higgins Region The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers.... regions between Frei and José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez Urrutia is a Chilean lawyer, Social Democrat Radical Party politician and a former Minister of Justice. He is currently a senator and president of his party.-External links:*... from 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.... . Frei won with 65% versus 35% of 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 May 17. Frei was legally proclaimed as presidential candidate by the PPD on August 1, 2009 and by the PDC, PS and PRSD on August 22, 2009. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on September 12, 2009.

Party pre-candidates

Each Concertación party selected its own pre-candidate for president. Only Frei and Gómez submitted their candidacies before the January 26, 2009 deadline.

Party	Candidate	Remarks
PRSD Social Democrat Radical Party The Social Democratic Radical Party is a social democratic party in Chile.The party is a member of Socialist International....	José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez Urrutia is a Chilean lawyer, Social Democrat Radical Party politician and a former Minister of Justice. He is currently a senator and president of his party.-External links:*...	He was proclaimed by his party on November 13, 2008. He had announced his pre-candidacy two days earlier.
PDC Christian Democrat Party of Chile The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	He was proclaimed by his party on December 13, 2008. Other candidates: Pablo Lorenzini: On December 16, 2008, he said he was supporting Frei's candidacy. Marcelo Trivelli: He announced his candidacy on June 10, 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 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... : 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 Adolfo Zaldívar Miguel Adolfo Gerardo Zaldívar Larraín is a Chilean politician and lawyer. He is currently senator for Aisén and since March 2008 he has been President of the Senate. He was a historic member of the Christian Democratic Party until his expulsion in December 2007.Zaldívar is married to María Alicia... . On December 6, 2007, she was unofficially proclaimed a presidential candidate by Christian Democrat deputy Pablo Lorenzini. She declared herself a candidate on June 23, 2008 during a television interview. On October 28, 2008, she stepped out of the race for the presidency and resigned as PDC president after disappointing results in the municipal elections Chilean municipal election, 2008 A municipal election took place in Chile on October 26, 2008. The newly elected mayors and councilmen began their term on December 6, 2008.-Mayoral election:Official and final results.-Councilmen election:Official and final results.... held two days earlier.
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...	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	The PS selected Frei as its candidate on January 17, 2009. He was the only person to submit a candidacy to the PS presidential convention. Declined candidacies: José Miguel Insulza José Miguel Insulza José Miguel Insulza Salinas is a Chilean politician and statesman. He is currently the Secretary General of the Organization of American States. He is nicknamed El Panzer, for his tank-like drive and reputation due to his ability to take political heat with little apparent damage... : He declared himself a candidate on December 12, 2008. He, however, declined his candidacy on January 5, 2009, and gave his support to Frei. 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... : 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 Transantiago Transantiago is a public transport system that serves Santiago, the capital of Chile. It is considered the most ambitious transport reform undertaken by a developing country according to the World Resources Institute.... ), 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 November 8, 2008, he was proclaimed unanimously by the PPD's National Directive as its candidate, but Lagos never accepted the nomination. On December 2, 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".
PPD 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...	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	The PPD selected Frei as its candidate on January 24, 2009, with 296 votes from the party's National Council, against seven for PRSD candidate José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez Urrutia is a Chilean lawyer, Social Democrat Radical Party politician and a former Minister of Justice. He is currently a senator and president of his party.-External links:... . Other candidates: Sergio Bitar*: In a May 4, 2007 interview with La Tercera, he said he was willing to be his party's presidential nominee if there was enough support. On November 7, 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 November 10, 2008, following Lagos's proclamation by his party. Now that Lagos is out of the race, he may attempt a second run. Nicolás Eyzaguirre Nicolás Eyzaguirre Nicolás Eyzaguirre Guzmán is a Chilean economist who was Minister of Finance in Chile between 2000 and 2006. He is the son of architect Joaquín Eyzaguirre and well-known actress Delfina Guzmán... : He has said that he could participate if Lagos declines to, but he remained silent after Lagos declined his candidacy. 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 December 4, 2008 he ruled out running for the presidency, stating in a press conference "I am not, nor will I be, a presidential candidate".
Independent candidates	None	Failed candidacies: Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election... : On December 15, 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 January 9, 2009, he agreed to compete in the Concertación primaries as independent after gaining the support of some council people and legislators.

Primary results

The primary was carried out on April 5, 2009 in the Maule

Maule Region

The VII Maule Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. Its capital is Talca. The region takes its name from the Maule River which, running westward from the Andes, bisects the region and spans a basin of about 20,600 km2...

and O'Higgins

O'Higgins Region

The VI O'Higgins Region is one of Chile's 15 first order administrative divisions. It is subdivided into three provinces. It is named in honour of Bernardo O'Higgins Riquelme, one of Chile's founding fathers....

regions. Frei became the single Concertación candidate by beating Gómez with an advantage above 20%, cancelling the need for further regional primaries.

Final results.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	Result
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	DC	40,140	64.90	Concertación candidate
José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez José Antonio Gómez Urrutia is a Chilean lawyer, Social Democrat Radical Party politician and a former Minister of Justice. He is currently a senator and president of his party.-External links:*...	PRSD	\|21,703	35.09
Valid votes		61,843	100
Null votes		222	0.35
Blank votes		317	0.50
Total votes		62,382	100

Juntos Podemos candidate

	Jorge Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle... (Communist Party of Chile 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... )	The Juntos Podemos Más 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... coalition of far-left parties selected former Socialist Party member Jorge Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle... as its sole candidate for president on April 25, 2009. He was officially proclaimed as candidate on April 26, 2009. In July 2009, after his candidacy lost the support of the Humanist Party, he became a member of the Communist Party in order to comply with the law and run for president. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on September 9, 2009.

Party pre-candidates

Party	Candidate	Remarks
PCCh 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...	Guillermo Teillier	Teillier launched his candidacy on September 26, 2008. He said he is willing to step down in order to put forward a single candidate for the Juntos Podemos coalition of left-parties. In November 2008 he said he would be willing to participate in a primary between him, Hirsch and Alejandro Navarro, who had quit the Socialist Party. Teillier stepped down as Juntos Podemos pre-candidate on April 25, 2009, giving his support to Jorge Arrate, saying he was the right person according to the country's political moment.
PH	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 :...	Hirsch was among the founders of the Humanist Party and vied unsuccessfully for seats in the Chamber of Deputies as part of the Concertación. In 1993, the PH broke off from the coalition. In 1999 he was the Humanist presidential candidate, but lost in the first round. In 2005, he again participated in the presidential campaign, now with the additional support of the communists 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... . He garnered a little over 5% of the vote. In an interview with Biobío Radio on September 1, 2007, Hirsch criticized the Concertación and the Alianza and declared that he would he "happy to be a candidate" if the members of his coalition agree. On June 7, 2008 he announced he intended to run for the presidency for the third time as the PH candidate, under the Juntos Podemos umbrella.
Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... (Socialista-allendista)	Jorge Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle...	Arrate is a member of the more leftist faction of the PS and had been mentioned as a potential candidate in an alliance of this faction and the Juntos Podemos Más 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... pact. He formally announced his candidacy on January 27, 2008, pressured by a group of socialists opposed to the Socialist Party leadership. On November 20, 2008, Arrate was proclaimed as candidate by a group of Socialist Party Central Committee members. Arrate resigned from the PS on January 14, 2009. He was proclaimed as presidential candidate on January 18, 2009 by a group of Socialist Party members, the so-called "socialistas-allendistas.

Primary results

The election to define the sole Juntos Podemos candidate was carried out on April 25, 2009 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...

. Arrate beat Hirsch and became the single Juntos Podemos candidate.

Final results.

Candidate	Party	Votes	%	Result
Jorge Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle...	Ind.	1,145	77.57	Juntos Podemos candidate
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 :...	PH	331	22.42
Valid votes		1,476	100
Null votes		6	0.40
Blank votes		2	0.13
Total votes		1,484	100

Independent candidate

	Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election... (Ind.)	On December 15, 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 January 9, 2009, he agreed to compete in the Concertación primaries as independent after gaining the support of some council people and legislators. He did not submit his candidacy, however. Instead he is running as an independent and as of August, 2009, polling above 20% and thus threatening to displace one of the coalition-backed candidates in the expected run-off election. He was proclaimed candidate by the Humanist and Ecologist parties plus several other leftist groups under the banner of a new electoral pact, a New Majority for Chile, on September 13, 2009. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on September 10, 2009.

Declined candidacies

Eduardo Artés (PC (AP)
Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action)
Chilean Communist Party is a communist group, originating from the pro-Albanian tradition, in Chile...

): He was proclaimed as Juntos Podemos pre-candidate by the Communist Party (Proletarian Action)
Chilean Communist Party (Proletarian Action)
Chilean Communist Party is a communist group, originating from the pro-Albanian tradition, in Chile...

on December 7, 2007. However, on July 26, 2008, the PC (AP) left the Juntos Podemos pact, accusing them of abandoning their founding principles in light of the pact's electoral deal with the Concertación for the upcoming October municipal elections. He quit his candidacy in July 2009. He said his candidacy was just an opportunity to present new ideas to the country, because being a candidate is something he can't afford, economically speaking.
Leonardo Farkas
Leonardo Farkas
Leonardo Julio Farkas Klein is a Chilean businessman and philanthropist.-Early years:Farkas's parents were Jews of Hungarian descent who emigrated from Transylvania to South America in 1939....

(Ind.): He is an extravagant mining businessman. On December 5, 2008, he announced he was giving up his presidential candidacy.
Pamela Jiles
Pamela Jiles (journalist)
- Biography :Jiles studied journalism at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She began working as journalist in the 1980s on several magazines against Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, such as Solidaridad, Apsi and Análisis....

(Ind.): She is a journalist and television presenter. She launched her candidacy in February 2009 through a column in The Clinic
The Clinic
The Clinic is a Chilean satirical/investigative newspaper founded by Patricio Fernández Chadwick in November 1998. The name was inspired by Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet's October 1998 arrest in Britain at The London Clinic, which bears the name The Clinic on its façade...

magazine. On September 4, 2009 she stepped out of the race in support of Navarro.
Luis Molina Vega (Ind.) The Civil Engineer from Tomé
Tomé
Tomé is a port city and commune in the Biobío Region of Chile. It is bordered by Coelemu to the north, Ránquil and Florida to the east, Penco to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west...

stepped out of the race in July 2009, due to low support.
Alejandro Navarro (MAS): He has characterized himself as a leader in the "dissident" faction of the Socialist Party, which harshly criticizes what they call the "neoliberal" economic model and supports Hugo Chávez
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...

and Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...

. Despite his involvement in a scandal due to his participation in a recent protest organized by the Unitary Workers Central where he attacked a policeman and the possibility of being expelled from the Senate, Navarro has already declared himself to be a presidential candidate for 2008. In November, 2008, he quit the PS to form a new party called Movimiento Amplio Social. He said his candidacy was necessary to "stop Piñera from winning in the first round" and still considers himself a Socialist. The MAS proclaimed him its candidate on November 11, 2008. The MAS is open to stage a primary between all leftist candidates that are not part of the Concertación. Navarro has proposed to hold the primary on April 2009. On May 5, 2009 Navarro said he would step out of the race and support Arrate if polls released from then to September show the Juntos Podemos candidate having an advantage of seven points over him. He didn't rule out Arrate then supporting Enríquez-Ominami, if his candidacy was the strongest. Navarro was proclaimed as MAS candidate on July 25, 2009 with the support of other minor left groups. He submitted his candidacy to the Electoral Service on September 14, 2009. On September 22, 2009 Navarro withdrew his candidacy and gave his support to Enríquez-Ominami.
Adolfo Zaldívar
Adolfo Zaldívar
Miguel Adolfo Gerardo Zaldívar Larraín is a Chilean politician and lawyer. He is currently senator for Aisén and since March 2008 he has been President of the Senate. He was a historic member of the Christian Democratic Party until his expulsion in December 2007.Zaldívar is married to María Alicia...

(PRI): The former president of the PDC and current senator lost the last internal PDC primary to Alvear. He is the brother of former senator and former Interior Minister Andrés Zaldívar
Andrés Zaldívar
José Andrés Rafael Zaldívar Larraín, popularly known as El Chico Zaldívar , is a prominent Chilean Christian Democrat politician. Andrés Zaldívar is of Basque descent.-Early years:...

. He was expelled from the PDC in December 2007. He is now part of the Regionalist Party of the Independents (PRI) and intends to run as president representing that collectivity. Zaldívar was proclaimed by the PRI on April 26, 2009. This decision was ratified on August 29, 2009. He stepped out of the race on September 14, 2009, just hours before the deadline for submission.

Opinion polls

List of opinion polls released within a year of the election. Only responses from persons registered to vote are shown.

Legend
—	Not in the list
	Wins election
	May win election
	Runoff
	May go to a runoff

First-round scenarios

Publisher	Field date	Date published	Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle...	MEO Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election...	Frei Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	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 :...	Other	DK/NR	Comments
CEP	November 19-December 11, 2008	December 30, 2008	—	—	31	41	7	21	Source
La Segunda	December 18, 2008	December 19, 2008	—	—	36	46	6	12	Source
La Segunda	April 6, 2009	April 7, 2009	1	4	33	43	7	12	Source
La Tercera	April 6–7, 2009	April 12, 2009	—	3	33	42	7	15	Source
Imaginacción	April 4–26, 2009	May 11, 2009	—	10.5	32.4	38.3	7.6	11.2	Source
TNS Time	April 1–30, 2009	May 5, 2009	—	14	29	36	7	14	Source
La Tercera	April 21–23, 2009	April 26, 2009	—	10	28	35	7	20	Source
Ipsos		April N/A, 2009	0.3	5.1	25.4	43.3	0	25.9	Source
La Segunda	May 14, 2009	May 15, 2009	1	14	27	42	4	12	Source
Imaginacción	May 2–30, 2009	June 11, 2009	0.5	20.9	29.9	34.9	5.6	8.2	Source
TNS Time	May 4–30, 2009	June 2, 2009	1	24	25	33	3	14	Source
CEP	May 14-June 3, 2009	June 18, 2009	1	14	30	34	3	19	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	May 14-June 3, 2009	June 18, 2009	1	13	30	37	3	16	Ballot box vote. (Source)
Ipsos	May 18-June 1, 2009	June 9, 2009	1.4	20.6	24.9	34.4	2.5	16.2	Source
Imaginacción	June 1–30, 2009	July 14, 2009	2.3	21.5	28.2	35.9	2.7	9.4	Source
Mori	June 27-July 9, 2009	July 23, 2009	1	13	21	43	3	19	Source
La Segunda	July 8, 2009	July 10, 2009	2	15	27	38	3	15	Source
Imaginacción	July 1–31, 2009	August 12, 2009	3.5	21.9	26.7	36.7	1.7	9.5	Source
La Tercera	July 20–22, 2009	July 26, 2009	2	21	25	30	2	20	Source
CERC	July 17-August 3, 2009	August 12, 2009	1	14	25	39	1	20	Source
Ipsos	July 24-August 6, 2009	August 19, 2009	1.5	20.6	22.9	35.6	2.1	17.3	Source
Direct Media	August 5–6, 2009	August 12, 2009	1.63	15.48	21.28	34.43	1.32	25.86	Source
La Segunda	August 12, 2009	August 14, 2009	1	20	24	39	1	15	Source
Imaginacción	August 1–29, 2009	September 14, 2009	2.3	20.5	28.2	37.8	2.4	10.3	Source
CEP	July 30-August 20, 2009	September 3, 2009	1	16	30	35	2	16	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	July 30-August 20, 2009	September 3, 2009	1	17	28	37	2	15	Ballot box vote. (Source)
Imaginacción	September 1–30, 2009	October 14, 2009	4.5	20.4	25.7	38.4	1.7	9.3	Source
La Segunda	September 24, 2009	September 25, 2009	4	19	23	39	0	15	Source
Ipsos	September 16-October 6, 2009	October 21, 2009	3.7	17.8	27.2	36.7	0.3	14.3	Source
UDP	September 21-October 13, 2009	October 28, 2009	4.1	17.3	23.7	30.3	0.6	24.0	Source
La Tercera	October 5–8, 2009	October 10, 2009	6	24	20	39	0	11	Source
CERC	October 2–13, 2009	October 20, 2009	3	20	20	41	0	16	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	October 10–12, 2009	October 18, 2009	4.9	21.5	22.8	38.0	0	12.7	Source
Giro País-Subjetiva	October 9–20, 2009	October 31, 2009	4.7	19.3	28.6	36.9	0	10.5	Source
Imaginacción	October 1–31, 2009	November 16, 2009	6.4	22.3	27.0	37.8	0	6.5	Source
CEP	October 8–30, 2009	November 11, 2009	4	17	26	35	0	18	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	October 8–30, 2009	November 11, 2009	5	19	26	36	0	14	Ballot box vote. (Source)
El Mercurio-Opina	November 3–4, 2009	November 7, 2009	6.1	20.4	21.5	38.0	0	14.0	Ballot box vote. (Source)
La Segunda	November 18, 2009	November 20, 2009	7	20	24	38	0	11	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	December 5–6, 2009	December 9, 2009	6.8	19.5	22.6	38.2	0	12.9	Ballot box vote. (Source)

DK/NR: Don't know / No response.

Frei vs. Piñera

Publisher	Field date	Date published	Frei Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	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 :...	DK/NR	Comments
CEP	November 19-December 11, 2008	December 30, 2008	34	44	22	Source
Imaginacción	December 6–28, 2008	January 8, 2009	42.5	44.8	12.7	Source
La Segunda-UDD	December 18, 2008	December 19, 2008	38	46	16	Source
TNS Time	January N/A, 2009	January 31, 2009 (unverified)	40	45	15	Source
Imaginacción	January 3–31, 2009	February 6, 2009	42.3	45.6	12.1	Source
TNS Time	February 2–26, 2009	March 10, 2009 (unverified)	38	43	19	Source
Imaginacción	February 7–28, 2009	March 4, 2009	43.4	46.8	9.8	Source
La Segunda-UDD	March 5, 2009	March 6, 2009	37	46	17	Source
TNS Time	March 2–30, 2009	March 31, 2009	41	39	20	Source
Imaginacción	March 2–31, 2009	April 8, 2009	44.3	44.7	11.0	Source
La Segunda-UDD	April 6, 2009	April 7, 2009	39	45	16	Source
La Tercera	April 6–7, 2009	April 12, 2009	40	46	14	Source
Imaginacción	April 4–26, 2009	May 11, 2009	43.2	43.8	13.0	Source
TNS Time	April 1–30, 2009	May 5, 2009	41	43	16	Source
CERC	April 13–27, 2009	May 14, 2009	33	47	20	Source
La Tercera	April 21–23, 2009	April 26, 2009	39	43	18	Source
Giro País-Subjetiva	April 30-May 10, 2009	May 16, 2009	40.8	37.9	21.3	Source
La Segunda-UDD	May 14, 2009	May 15, 2009	34	44	22	Source
Imaginacción	May 2–30, 2009	June 11, 2009	43.1	44.2	12.7	Source
TNS Time	May 4–30, 2009	June 2, 2009	38	43	19	Source
CEP	May 14-June 3, 2009	June 18, 2009	39	39	22	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	May 14-June 3, 2009	June 18, 2009	39	41	20	Ballot box vote. (Source)
Ipsos	May 18-June 1, 2009	June 9, 2009	39.6	42.3	18.1	Source
Imaginacción	June 1–30, 2009	July 14, 2009	41.9	43.3	14.8	Source
MORI	June 27-July 9, 2009	July 23, 2009	30	46	24	Source
La Segunda-UDD	July 8, 2009	July 10, 2009	39	43	18	Source
Imaginacción	July 1–31, 2009	August 12, 2009	42.8	44.5	12.7	Source
CERC	July 17-August 3, 2009	August 12, 2009	36	44	20	Source
Ipsos	July 24-August 6, 2009	August 19, 2009	38.1	45.5	16.4	Source
Direct Media	August 5–6, 2009	August 12, 2009	30.97	40.89	28.14	Source
CEP	July 30-August 20, 2009	September 3, 2009	39	39	22	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	July 30-August 20, 2009	September 3, 2009	39	42	19	Ballot box vote. (Source)
La Segunda-UDD	August 12, 2009	August 14, 2009	36	45	19	Source
Imaginacción	August 1–29, 2009	September 14, 2009	42.6	44.6	12.8	Source
Imaginacción	September 1–30, 2009	October 14, 2009	42.2	45.2	12.6	Source
La Segunda-UDD	September 24, 2009	September 25, 2009	38	47	15	Source
Ipsos	September 16-October 6, 2009	October 21, 2009	39.6	44.5	15.9	Source
UDP	September 21-October 13, 2009	October 28, 2009	36.3	35.5	28.2	Source
La Tercera	October 5–8, 2009	October 10, 2009	39	48	13	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	October 10–12, 2009	October 18, 2009	38.1	42.5	19.4	Ballot box vote. (Source)
Giro País-Subjetiva	October 9–20, 2009	October 31, 2009	42.0	42.2	15.8	Source
Imaginacción	October 1–31, 2009	November 16, 2009	42.1	45.8	12.1	Source
CEP	October 8–30, 2009	November 11, 2009	36	40	24	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	October 8–30, 2009	November 11, 2009	37	43	20	Ballot box vote. (Source)
El Mercurio-Opina	November 3–4, 2009	November 7, 2009	36.8	42.7	20.5	Ballot box vote. (Source)
La Segunda-UDD	November 18, 2009	November 20, 2009	37	47	16	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	December 5–6, 2009	December 9, 2009	34.4	42.5	23.1	Ballot box vote. (Source)
El Mercurio-Opina	December 15–17, 2009	December 19, 2009	39.7	46.2	14.1	Ballot box vote. (Source)
La Segunda-UDD	December 17, 2009	December 18, 2009	43	48	9	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	January 5–7, 2010	January 9, 2010	41.0	46.1	12.9	Ballot box vote. (Source)

DK/NR: Don't know / No response.

Enríquez-Ominami vs. Piñera

Publisher	Field date	Date published	MEO Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election...	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 :...	DK/NR	Comments
La Segunda-UDD	May 14, 2009	May 15, 2009	37	45	18	Source
MORI	June 27-July 9, 2009	July 23, 2009	23	47	30	Source
La Segunda-UDD	July 8, 2009	July 10, 2009	36	45	19	Source
La Tercera	July 20–22, 2009	July 26, 2009	22	49	29	Source
CERC	July 17-August 3, 2009	August 12, 2009	29	44	27	Source
Ipsos	July 24-August 6, 2009	August 19, 2009	40.3	43.6	16.1	Source
Direct Media	August 5–6, 2009	August 12, 2009	31.29	38.88	29.83	Source
CEP	July 30-August 20, 2009	September 3, 2009	33	40	27	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	July 30-August 20, 2009	September 3, 2009	34	44	22	Ballot box vote. (Source)
La Segunda-UDD	August 12, 2009	August 14, 2009	37	45	18	Source
Imaginacción	September 1–30, 2009	October 14, 2009	39.3	45.9	14.8	Source
La Segunda-UDD	September 24, 2009	September 25, 2009	40	47	13	Source
Ipsos	September 16-October 6, 2009	October 21, 2009	42.3	42.8	14.9	Source
UDP	September 21-October 13, 2009	October 28, 2009	36.4	34.0	29.6	Source
La Tercera	October 5–8, 2009	October 10, 2009	43	44	13	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	October 10–12, 2009	October 18, 2009	40.3	42.9	16.8	Ballot-box vote. (Source)
Giro País-Subjetiva	October 9–20, 2009	October 31, 2009	41.1	40.2	18.7	Source
Imaginacción	October 1–31, 2009	November 16, 2009	42.7	43.4	13.9	Source
CEP	October 8–30, 2009	November 11, 2009	35	37	28	Response to a questionnaire. (Source)
CEP	October 8–30, 2009	November 11, 2009	37	40	23	Ballot box vote. (Source)
El Mercurio-Opina	November 3–4, 2009	November 7, 2009	37.7	41.9	20.4	Ballot-box vote. (Source)
La Segunda-UDD	November 18, 2009	November 20, 2009	40	44	16	Source
El Mercurio-Opina	December 5–6, 2009	December 9, 2009	34.8	40.7	24.5	Ballot-box vote. (Source)

DK/NR: Don't know / No response.

Arrate vs. Piñera

Publisher	Field date	Date published	Arrate Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle...	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 :...	DK/NR	Comments
La Tercera	October 5–8, 2009	October 10, 2009	33	51	16	Source

DK/NR: Don't know / No response.

Enríquez-Ominami vs. Frei

Publisher	Field date	Date published	MEO Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election...	Frei Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	DK/NR	Comments
UDP	September 21-October 13, 2009	October 28, 2009	32.3	31.9	35.8	Source

DK/NR: Don't know / No response.

Debates

The first debate was organized by TVN

Televisión Nacional de Chile

TVN is Chile's state-owned television station. Its inaugural transmission took place on 1969. TVN is owned, but not funded, by the state, and it functions independently from it; a very particular case of public television in South America...

and took place in Studio #9 at the station's main headquarters in Santiago

Santiago, Chile

. It was broadcast live on September 23, 2009 at 10:40 p.m and included all four candidates. A poll published by Ipsos the following day, showed that Enríquez-Ominami, Arrate and Piñera were each considered to have had the best performance over the rest, with 29-30% of support, while Frei's showing only had the support of 9%. Frei was seen by 45% as the worst performer, followed by Piñera (37%), Arrate (10%) and Enríquez-Ominami (5%). Another poll by La Segunda found 23% thought Piñera had won the debate, followed by Arrate (21%), Enríquez-Ominami (15%) and Frei (9%). 31% thought none had won the debate.

The second debate was organized by Archi (Radio Broadcasters Association) and Mayor University. It took place at 8:30 AM on October 9, 2009. It was a radio-only debate, though some local 24-hour news channels broadcast live some parts of it. A poll carried out by Mayor University showed Piñera had won the debate by 41%, followed by Enríquez-Ominami (22%), Arrate (19%) and Frei Ruiz-Tagle (17%).
There was an online debate on November 4, organized by Terra and Radio Cooperativa

Radio Cooperativa

Radio Cooperativa is a radio station in Chile, based in Providencia. It is operated by Compañía Chilena de Comunicaciones S.A.. The station is notable for opposing the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship and denouncing its human rights violations....

. Only Arrate was present after the other three candidates declined to attend. Frei and Piñera had confirmed their presence in May, while Enríquez-Ominami backed down on the same day of the debate.

A debate to discuss regional issues took place on November 6 at 9 AM in Talca

Talca

Talca is a city and commune in Chile located about south of Santiago, and is the capital of both Talca Province and Maule Region . As of the 2002 census, the city had a population of 193,755....

's casino. It was organized by the National Press Association (ANP) and was attended by all four candidates.

A fifth debate took place on November 9 at 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...

's studios in Santiago

Santiago, Chile

, which was broadcast live at 10 PM. All four candidates were present. This debate was notable because the candidates were able to ask questions to one another and freely talk to each other.

The last debate was organized by the National Television Association (Anatel) and broadcast live on November 16 at 10 PM by all terrestrial television stations. All candidates attended. There was no audience present.

First round results

Official and final results.

Ballot number	Candidate	Party/ Coalition	Votes	%	Result
1	Jorge Arrate Mac-Niven Jorge Arrate Jorge Félix Arrate Mac-Niven is a Chilean lawyer, economist, academic, writer and politician. He served as minister under President Patricio Aylwin and President Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle...	PCCh 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... /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...	433,195	6.21
2	Marco Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio Marco Enríquez-Ominami Marco Antonio Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio is a Chilean-French filmmaker and politician. He was elected deputy for District 10 in December 2005 as a member of the Socialist Party, but changed his political affiliation to independent before running for President of the Republic in the 2009 election...	Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	1,405,124	20.14
3	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... /CFC Coalition for Change The Coalition for Change is a presidential and parliamentary electoral coalition that groups the supporters of President Sebastián Piñera for the 2009-2010 Chilean election...	3,074,164	44.06	Runoff
4	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	PDC Christian Democrat Party of Chile The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats.... /CPD	2,065,061	29.60	Runoff
	Total valid votes		6,977,544	100.00
	Null votes		200,420	2.76
	Blank votes		86,172	1.19
	Total votes		7,264,136	100.00
	Total voters enrolled		8,285,186	\| 87.68% turnout
	Voting age population		12,277,915	\| 67.48% registered

Note: There are 34,348 ballot boxes in the country in 34,325 polling places (23 polling places are mixed-sex, with separate ballot boxes for men and women.)

Campaign

On December 20, 2009, the Juntos Podemos Más coalition gave his support to Eduardo Frei's candidacy, after the former president agreed to include a number of policies into his government program. Two days later, Jorge Arrate also gave his full support to Frei. On January 13, 2010 Enríquez-Ominami held a press conference to state he would vote for Frei, although he did not say his name. He had previously said that voting for Piñera would be a regression and voting for Frei would not be an advancement.

Debates

There was a single debate between the two candidates. It was organized by Anatel and broadcast at 10 PM by all terrestrial television stations on January 11, 2010.

Results

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... /CFC Coalition for Change The Coalition for Change is a presidential and parliamentary electoral coalition that groups the supporters of President Sebastián Piñera for the 2009-2010 Chilean election...	3,591,182	51.61	President
2	Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle Eduardo 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...	PDC Christian Democrat Party of Chile The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats.... /CPD	3,367,790	48.39
	Total valid votes		6,958,972	100.00
	Null votes		189,490	2.63
	Blank votes		54,909	0.76
	Total votes		7,203,371	100.00
	Total voters enrolled		8,285,186	\| 86.94% turnout
	Voting age population		12,277,915	\| 67.48% registered

Note: There are 34,348 ballot boxes in the country in 34,325 polling places (23 polling places are mixed-sex, with separate ballot boxes for men and women.)

Timeline

September 13, 2009: Deadline to enroll to vote in the upcoming elections.
September 14, 2009: Deadline to submit candidacies before the Electoral Service (Servel).
September 14, 2009: Electoral campaign begins.
October 5, 2009: Draw supervised by Servel to assign a ballot number to each candidate.
November 13, 2009: Electoral advertisement period starts.
December 10, 2009: Electoral advertisement period ends.
December 13, 2009: Election day. Electoral campaigning ends.
December 13, 2009: First preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Minister at 6:30 p.m. local time (9:30 p.m. GMT), including 4,342 out of 34,348 ballot boxes (12.64%).
December 13, 2009: Second preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Minister at 8:03 p.m. local time (11:03 p.m. GMT), including 20,595 ballot boxes (59.96%).
December 13, 2009: Third preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Minister at 22:56 p.m. local time (1:56 a.m. GMT), including 33,756 ballot boxes (98.28%).
December 14, 2009: Fourth and final preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Minister at 11:05 a.m. local time (2:05 p.m. GMT), including 34,133 ballot boxes (99.37%).
December 21, 2009: The Electoral Service (Servel) publishes preliminary results based on the examination of election certificates (actas de escrutinio) by the Tellers' Colleges (Colegios Escrutadores) meeting on December 14, 2009, including 34,263 out of 34,348 ballot boxes (99.75%).
December 29, 2009: The Tricel publishes the final results of the first round election on the Official Gazette.
January 3, 2009: Electoral advertisement period for runoff election starts.
January 7, 2009: Ballot number is assigned to each candidate according to their position in the first draw.
January 14, 2009: Electoral advertisement period ends.
January 17, 2010: Date of presidential run-off. Electoral campaigning ends.
January 17, 2010: First preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Ministry at 6:00 p.m. local time (9:00 p.m. GMT), including results from 20,711 out of 34,348 ballot boxes (60.30%).
January 17, 2010: Eduardo Frei concedes the election to Sebastián Piñera at 6:44 p.m. local time (9:44 p.m. GMT).
January 17, 2010: Second preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Ministry at 7:40 p.m. local time (10:40 p.m. GMT), including results from 34,056 ballot boxes (99.15%).
January 18, 2010: Third and final preliminary results are announced by the Deputy Interior Ministry at 11:00 a.m. local time (2:00 p.m. GMT), including results from 34,252 ballot boxes (99.72%).
January 29, 2010: The Election Qualifying Court (Tricel) officially proclaims PIñera as President-elect.
January 30, 2010: The Tricel publishes the Act of Proclamation on the Official Gazette.
February 3, 2010: The Tricel publishes the final results of the runoff election on its website.

External links

Results down to communal level (Interior Ministry)
Results from Election Counting Colleges (Electoral Service)
Results by ballot box (Election Qualifying Court)

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.