Chile's Piñera Explores Electoral Reform

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera presented a proposal Monday that would establish primary elections, replacing the current system in which the party leadership chooses candidates. Although details have yet to emerge, it’s clear that one of the topics Chile’s president wants to discuss is reform of the binomial system—an unpopular electoral system that benefits Piñera’s own conservative coalition.

Chile’s binominal system traces its roots to the Pinochet era, which adopted the system as it transitioned to democracy in 1990. The system assigns two representatives to each electoral district. To win one seat, a party needs to secure at least 33.4 percent of the votes. To take the second seat, the party must win 66.8 percent. Political analysts agree that the system distorts representation, but many also say it facilitated Chile’s democratic transition by helping to avoid rapid changes that could have provoked an authoritarian backslide. “It was a success during the first stage of democracy, when fears of instability and a return to authoritarianism made it advisable to reduce the number of actors and allow elites to make pacts, even in secret,” Chilean political scientist Patricio Navia told InfoLatam, referring to the binomial system. “But as democracy consolidated, the argument for privileging the government in such a top-down fashion became less defensible.”

Over time, the binomial system has become increasingly unpopular. Some 78 percent of Chileans think the system should be reformed, according to a survey conducted last month by Imaginación Consultancy. Because of the high barrier to entry created by the binomial system, Chile has developed an effective two-party system of umbrella coalitions, with the Concertación representing the political left and the Alianza representing the right. The current system tends to bias results in favor of the second-most voted party, therefore benefiting the Alianza. A 2006 study published by Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences covering the years 1989 to 2005 found that the binomial system favored the Alianza in senatorial elections by an average of 8.6 percent, versus 0.8 percent for the Concertación. The effect was less pronounced in the case of lower house elections, in which the Alianza benefited by an average of 4.7 percent, compared to an average of 4.4 percent for the Concertación. The same study also argued that the binomial system provides a disincentive for political participation, since election results are often predictable and third parties cannot participate on equal footing.

Chileans have discussed electoral reform for years without coming to an agreement. Concertación politicians have traditionally foisted the blame on the Alianza. But with a president from the right calling for a reworking of the binomial system, a bipartisan agreement seems closer than ever. “Both the left and right are increasingly seeing it as a way to bring back popular confidence, which is now very low,” wrote University of North Carolina’s Greg Weeks last month.

Piñera’s push to reform the binomial system would allow him to score some sorely needed political points. A wave of student protests beginning in May has rallied the country behind demands for high-quality, low-cost education, while Piñera’s proposals for education reform fell short of what they sought. After holding a four-hour long meeting with student leaders at the presidential palace on September 3, however, Piñera appears determined to put the conflict behind him.

Reforming the political system could help Piñera build good will with the public, which overwhelmingly rejects the binomial system. Indeed, historian Nicolás Ocaranza argues that the student movement arose partly because protesters did not feel they could channel their grievances through the political system. “Beyond the education crisis, today’s social movements are also the effect of a crisis of representation,” Ocaranza writes. Polling data suggests Ocaranza may be right. A survey released by Adimark Monday found that only 27 percent of Chileans approve of the job Piñera is doing, and even less approve of the job the Concertación is doing. On the other hand, 76 percent of those surveyed said they support the students’ demands.

Learn more:

• AS/COA hosts President Sebastian Piñera for a public presentation on September 22.
• A special report by InfoLatam explains the history of Chile’s binomial system.
• Read historian Nicolás Ocaranza’s essay arguing that Chile’s education protests are a system of a larger crisis of representation.
• Consult the 2006 FLACSO study on the limits of the binomial system.
• View the Imaginación Consultancy opinion survey finding high support for reform of the binomial system.