Sebastián Piñera’s lead in the polls appears to have evaporated, making this weekend’s election a less predictable contest, but with significant ramifications for Chilean democracy.
Chile
From October 2009 through October 2010, seven presidential races are taking place in Latin America, with elections in Uruguay, Honduras, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Brazil. AS/COA offers an interactive guide to the results thus far and poll figures for elections yet to come.
Sebastian Piñera pulled in 44 percent of the vote in Chile's December 13 elections against ex-president Eduardo Frei and newcomer Marco Enríquez-Ominami. His victory marks the first by a conservative since the fall of Augusto Pinochet. With no candidate securing the necessary majority, a runoff is set for January.
As Chile prepares for its December 13 presidential election, this young candidate has shaken up the post-Pinochet pattern of two coalitions battling for the presidency.
A policy update in the Fall 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly examines health care systems in Cuba, Chile, Colombia, and Costa Rica.
Chile's former president, Ricardo Lagos, calls for a new global metric to measure a country's carbon footprint in the Fall 2009 issue of Americas Quarterly.