Plot Twists in Chile's Presidential Primary Results
Plot Twists in Chile's Presidential Primary Results
Two young newcomers—Gabriel Boric on the left and Sebastián Sichel on the right—beat out frontrunners to lead their respective coalitions. The presidential vote takes place in November.
From constitutional delegates to governors, a variety of posts have already been voted on in Chile this year. The latest—July 18 primaries—kicked off a whole new series of elections as the country prepares to pick the next president. And, just as Chile’s game-changing 2019 protests caught many off guard, the primary results delivered surprises as well.
With 96 percent of ballots counted and results called, the two youngest candidates on each of the official coalitional primary ballots will compete for the presidency on November 21. Independent candidate Sebastián Sichel will represent the governing center-right Let’s Go Chile coalition, while on the left Gabriel Boric will be the candidate for the Approve Dignity coalition. A runoff will take place on December 19 if no candidate wins majority in the first round. President Sebastián Piñera cannot run again due to restrictions on consecutive terms. The next head of state takes office on March 11, 2022 and will thus be in office while a new constitution is expected to be implemented.
The primaries consisted of two official coalition candidate lists, one comprising presidential contenders for Piñera’s Let’s Go Chile, and another for Approve Dignity. Chileans over 18 were eligible to vote if they were either registered with a party holding a primary or if they were not registered with any party. In the country of 19 million, over 3.1 million people cast ballots, resulting in the highest voter turnout in the history of Chilean primaries. Over 1.34 million people cast ballots in the center-right vote, while 1.75 million participated in the left’s primary.
Still, other hopefuls may formally enter the race for La Moneda despite not having participated in a primary as long as they formalize their candidacy by the August 23 deadline. Other political parties may still nominate a candidate, while independent candidates must gather at least 33,000 signatures to enter the race.
In 2021, ten countries in Latin America hold elections—five of them presidential contests—while reeling from the pandemic's devastating impact.
Get our weekly Friday newsletter in your inbox for updates on Latin American politics, economics, and culture.
