Piñera’s Cabinet to be Announced

February 5, 2010

Chile’s new president-elect, Sebastián Piñera, will announce his first cabinet picks on Tuesday, February 9, after what has been a rather complicated process.

During the campaign, Piñera and his closest advisors had committed to a technocratic approach to cabinet selection, however since the election the largest political party in the winning coalition, Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI) has been pushing to include close political allies in key cabinet assignments. Tension rose this morning when the leader of Renovación Nacional, Piñera’s party, made statements about the political nature of the ministries saying, ”consultants are able to provide technical knowledge but they do not deliver political efficiency.”

These early tensions are being called significant since they may influence Chilean politics and policymaking for the next four years. Observers note that the president-elect has a managerial style that is more technical than political in nature. But a more politicized cabinet would have more power to include a social agenda in the executive’s policy proposals. Balancing these forces will not be easy; UDI is the country’s biggest party and controls 30 percent of Congress.

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Campaign Ends, Piñera and Frei in Tight Race

January 15, 2010

Heading into Sunday’s presidential elections in Chile, the latest survey reports a statistical tie between Alianza candidate Sebastián Piñera (50.9 percent support) and Concertación candidate Eduardo Frei. (49.1 percent).

But the key to victory is likely to rest with the 7 perent of voters that are reported to be undecided. Voting in Chile is mandatory for all those registered.

Candidates finalized their campaigns late yesterday. Mr. Piñera did so by traveling 400 miles (600 kilometers) to three cities, with the message that he will be a president of unity. The Alianza candidate asked Chileans for an opportunity to show that he could establish a hard-working and honest government.

Mr. Frei’s last stop was in San Greogorio, one of Santiago’s poorest neighborhoods, where he emphasized that people should not “neglect democracy” by casting a blank vote and highlighted the achievements made under 20 years of Concertación rule. He stated this morning that the election will be decided by just a single vote at each polling location and thanked popular Chilean President Michelle Bachelet for her support.

Polls open on Sunday at 6:30 a.m. (EST) and begin to close at 2:30 p.m. (EST). The first official results are expected no later than 3:30 p.m. (EST).

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Piñera Wins First Round of Elections in Chile

December 14, 2009

A January 17 runoff  is now set between Sebastian Piñera of the Alliance for Chile coalition and former President Eduardo Frei of the ruling Concertación coalition. On Sunday, with 98 percent of votes counted, Piñera won the first round with 44 percent of votes cast compared to 30 percent for Frei. The two candidates are now vying for the support that went to independent Marco Enríquez-Ominami, who secured 20 percent of first-round votes. Ominami refuses to endorse either candidate.

Political scientist Ricardo Israel of the University of Chile said the second round will be “very tight” as it was in the last two presidential elections “with the only difference being that for the first time, the opposition candidate has the advantage."

Chileans also voted for members of Congress on Sunday, with over 500 candidates vying for all 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 18 of 38 seats in the Senate. Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI) emerged as the strongest force, winning 23.1 percent of the votes. Sebastian Piñera’s Renovación Nacional (RN) won 17.8 percent of votes in the Chamber. In the Senate, the ruling Concertación was left with 19 members while the Right emerged with 17 Senators. The new Chamber of Deputies will include 58 members from the Right, and 57 members from the ruling Concertación coalition. The new session begins in March 2010.

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