MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Chile election: Bachelet and Matthei go to second round
Left-wing candidate Michelle Bachelet has won the first round of voting in Chile's presidential election.She took 47% of the votes, against 25% for her main rival, Evelyn Matthei, a former Labour minister in the centre-right government of Sebastian Pinera. A second round of voting will take place on 15 December. Read full article
Comments
Disclaimer & comment rulesOh! So we will go to the second round after all.
Nov 18th, 2013 - 11:12 am - Link - Report abuse 049% turnout from what I have read. While I'm a fan of compulsory attendance in elections, Chile will have to live with less than half the eligible population voting and then less than half of them choosing the winner.
But seems to be pretty boring election so far…. and that is high praise.
I thought the turn out was pretty good considering it was voluntary and the polls were predicting Bachelet would walk it in the first round.
Nov 18th, 2013 - 11:35 am - Link - Report abuse 0I hope whoever wins - Bachelet seems likely - will address some of the employment laws. I absolutely agree that education and social issues are a priority but the employment laws are creating a 'don't care' generation that will eventually slow the progress of Chile.
ElaineB
Nov 18th, 2013 - 12:10 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Agreed, all countries eventually have to reform certain facets of the system that get them along the road to development. Education and labour market reforms are a perfect target.
There is, however, less pressing need for constitutional change. While I am all for it, I think it should be taken slowly and never rushed. And any changes should be offered to the public perhaps at the next presidential election.
Chile will continue to develop, just depends at what speed.
Matthei did better than expected given the short time since she assumed as the Alliance candidate, but it is unlikely she can do anything to close the gap.
Nov 18th, 2013 - 12:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0@4 I agree but having a stronger opposition than expected may ensure any constitutional changes are properly debated and adjusted. (I am a great admirer of Bachelet as a person, I am less admiring of unchallenged power).
Nov 18th, 2013 - 12:47 pm - Link - Report abuse 0If the next government of Chile is genuine in the desire to spread the wealth then they must curtail some of the unworkable employment laws. One way of spreading wealth is to encourage small businesses but I cannot see how they can ever be successful if your employees can leave a a moment's notice - literally call five minutes before the start of a working day and say they are leaving NOW - and can take two unscheduled and unexplained days off per month without sanctions. This has led to a generation of Chileans that change jobs 5 or 6 times a year for $10 more and a free pen. There is no loyalty to employment and, given the low unemployment and steady growth, no fear of unemployment. All good for the worker you might think but it will impede development of the small business which is where the wealth starts to trickle down. JMO
Chilean politics is so rich in irony. If anything resembling the relationship between Ms Bachelet and Ms Matthei were occurring in the United States all of the big networks would have filmed a telemovie by now. In my country we would be enthralled. And yet, despite all that, I can't recall a single reference on the Chilean election in the local media.
Nov 18th, 2013 - 12:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0It's a great story and 'we' are missing out on it.
@6 Do you mean the childhood friendship of Bachelet and Matthei? The story has appeared internationally, though mostly in the last couple of weeks. You are right it is an extraordinary story except maybe in Chile. Here - I am in Chile at the moment - you quickly discover how small town it can be socially because there is little social mobility and almost no mixing of the rigid classes it is very typical. It is quite an incestuous social scene.
Nov 18th, 2013 - 02:12 pm - Link - Report abuse 0An example of a recent conversation I had with a man from one of the 'big' families. We were talking generally about people we knew - Chileans love to gossip - and each time I mentioned a woman's name he pronounced he had dated her until we both could not recall the name of an interior designer I had met recently and he had, obviously, dated.......
Me: You are quite the playboy, aren't you?
Him: No, but I don't have the heart of a playboy.
Me: Just the loins then.
Him: No, no, what was her name.......?
(long pause)
Me: Is there a woman in Chile you haven't dated?
Him: No, no you have me all wrong. Wait! I remember her name! It is ******.
Me: Well jolly well done for remember the name of the woman you dated. You are quite the gentleman.
He had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed but did laugh at my teasing.
Everyone knows everyone in their social class.
@7
Nov 18th, 2013 - 02:32 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Lol. We have our own little dynasties here too - though we don't have a political/military hybrid political class. It can be quite intimate too. Our current P.M. once knocked out our current Treasurer in a rugby match ( with his fists ) many years ago.
@Elaine,
Nov 18th, 2013 - 04:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0You are correct that there is low social mobility in Chile, but it tends to be at the very top and the very bottom. Maybe the nature of your work brings you in contact with the a very closed group at the very top - they inhabit a different world from the rest of us and are identifiable by their vineyard surnames and unadulterated European heritage. I doubt they are any more “incestuous” than the English aristocracy or your own social elites - I mean you have a Prime Minister, Chancellor and London Mayor who all went to the same school.
Re employment: I would be interested to hear where you are coming from with the “don't care” generation. I see no evidence of it, at least here in the regions. And I am not sure what you refer to by the 2 days off per month without notice. These could be to replace “feriados” that had to be worked. There are certainly too many feriados and I would like to see those reduced in half, but I am probably alone on that!
@9 I completely agree about the elite at the top and will post some statistics from the UK that will support that.
Nov 18th, 2013 - 04:57 pm - Link - Report abuse 0My work actually takes me across the spectrum of classes which is easy to do when you can't be 'placed'. Being foreign they are not quite sure what to make of me.
Mostly I was speaking in jest but I will respond about the employment problems a little later...... I have to go and meet someone. :)
Busy with British month?
Nov 18th, 2013 - 06:46 pm - Link - Report abuse 0#5 ”@4 I agree but having a stronger opposition than expected may ensure any constitutional changes are properly debated and adjusted. (I am a great admirer of Bachelet as a person, I am less admiring of unchallenged power)”
Nov 19th, 2013 - 01:50 am - Link - Report abuse 0Lets not run away with ourselves; the fact that Pinochet built in so many institutional blockages that his minority of supporters could keep his constitution, bizarre electoral system and even education policy unchanged so long as they can prevent a massive supermajority (which they almost definitely can given the double first past the post system) is NOT a good thing. Checks, balances and accountability - courtesy of one of the 20th centuries worst dictators; the hypocrisy of the neoliberal right. Michelle has been sounding increasingly radical in this campaign, like Cristinita, I take it that's what you mean by unchallenged power? She's also been looking more and more beautiful =) Barring almost unimaginable circumstances she WILL win (the narrow failure to win outright being probably due to over-good polling, making some supporters stay at home, and supporters of the eliminated socialist candidates are hardly going to transfer to Matthei), and when she does it will be interesting to see how she deals with the would-be blocking minority of Pinochetites...
@BK
Nov 19th, 2013 - 12:25 pm - Link - Report abuse 0Indeed, “Lets not run away with ourselves”, which is certainly what you are doing.
“the fact that Pinochet built in so many institutional blockages that his minority of supporters could keep his constitution, bizarre electoral system and even education policy unchanged so long as they can prevent a massive supermajority”
Do you just make that stuff up or do you read it somewhere?
There is no “supermajority” because there is no supermajority. The binominal voting system favors BOTH the two main coalitions, hence the calls to reform it come from the independent candidates.
In every post-Pinochet election the Concertación has been over represented by between 7% and 15% thanks to the “bizarre” (i.e. BK don't understand it) electoral system” . The center-right coalition has also been over represented by a similar amount.
The binomial electoral system, like any, has its pros and cons. One of the main benefits is that it provides great stability, reduces factions and requires consensus. It played an important part in the smooth transition to democracy.
Please have the decency to understand something about Chile before criticizing.
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