Presidential Elections in Chile

On December 11th, the Chilean people voted in an election composed of four candidates. They were: Two members of a conservative alliance representing business and a small portion of both the marginalized sectors and the middle class; a member of the Chilean socialist party, a woman, representing the ruling concertacion coalition, which has, to this point, also represented the business community, as well as a larger portion of the poor and working class sectors, and a left-wing candidate representing intellectuals, students, environmentalists, social justice groups, as well as other marginalized groups in the country who are fed up with the ruling coalition and motivated by a perceived abandonment on behalf of successive concertacion governments of the democratic transition promises of social progress.

Michelle Bachelet, the socialist candidate and member of the ruling coalition, failed to receive a majority of the votes as expected by many political experts, forcing an election run-off in January where she will have to confront Sebastian Pinera again, this time in a one-on-one scenario.

Michelle Bachelet began this presidential race as a sure win, as a cruise control victory, thanks in part to a series of public polls which mysteriously placed her at the top of the short coalition list of possible candidates. It’s not clear just how she was established as being so “popular”, but it is accepted that, at one point, the media chose her as the favorite. In fact, Jose Miguel Insulza, current head of the OAS and former interior minister, was passed over as a result of this media phenomenon. A considerable portion of the population might have gotten on the Michelle bandwagon without knowing why, but as far as the election process is concerned, this is ancient history.

Bachelet’s story surely resonates in the popular sectors of Chile as it is well known that her father, a general who was critical of the military government in the seventies, was tortured and then assassinated. Bachelet herself was tortured and then forced into exile along with her mother. The idea that a torture victim could come back from exile and become the first female president is as attractive as it is strikingly pure. Just what she plans on doing if she becomes president is not so clear. Many critics have argued that Bachelet has tended to substitute heartfelt ideals with complicated studies and nebulous work proposals on issues she claims are too complex to pronounce on directly.

The Renovacion Nacional candidate Pinera, who received around 25% of the vote, was considered a long-shot when he announced his candidacy late in the election race, but slowly gained points in the dozens of polls that were unfolded by the media throughout the campaign. His media-friendly personality and his personal history were some of the factors behind his unexpected victory over Joaquin Lavin, the second conservative candidate, who was forced to admit defeat early in the recount process, thus ending his second chance at the Moneda. In 1999, he came very close to defeating the current President Ricardo Lagos who, after 6 years in office, has one of the highest approval ratings in the history of Chilean politics.

Another surprise was Thomas Hirsch, member of the Humanist Party and part of a left-wing coalition called “Juntos Podemos Mas” (together we can do more) which includes the congressionally marginalized Communist party. Although he only received five percent of the popular vote (much less than was expected), his positive public persona, as well as his charming and witty treatment of often unaddressed issues gave the left a public voice, and a face it hadn’t seen since Gladys Marin, the well-known communist leader and intensely loved fighter who died this year of cancer.

His outspoken criticism of Chile’s economic model and its symptoms (poverty, inequality, environmental destruction) became commonplace in living rooms throughout the country as the mass media spared considerable air time for his rallies and his various campaign performances, including the first presidential debate which also aired on spanish CNN. His harsh criticism of US president George W Bush and the “war on terror” will not be forgotten so quickly. Hirsch was unapologetic, smart, sharp, and delivered his blows with a substantial measure of good humor. He received criticism from various sectors when on the night of the election he announced he was going to vote blank in the run-off. After the excitement of December 11 died down, it became clear that the communist party, as part of of the Juntos Podemos Mas Coalition, would negotiate with the concertacion coalition exchanging their votes for a series of promises, which include changing the binomial election system which many have blamed for the shortage of alternative voices in congress. Michelle Bachelet, quite simply, needs those votes if she expects to win on January 15th. A package law has already been sent to congress by Ricardo Lagos dealing with the binomial system, but many have already criticized it as too general and too long-term.

Unlike in Bolivia, it is clear that the left in Chile is just waking up. Aside from the few voices emanating from the socialist party which still reflect socialist values, the left will have no voice in the upcoming government. There is no real disagreement in regards to the economic model which has been in effect in Chile since Pinochet came into power in the seventies. There is only leg room for the discourse of “corrections” and “trickle down initiatives”. Although social inequality was an issue that was present in the presidential debates, only Hirsch avoided using the discourse of “corrections”. Michelle Bachelet and the entire concertacion coalition, which seemed to be pulling her strings the entire election cycle, attempted to interpret the history of their 15-year rule as a series of important steps in the consolidation of democracy and social justice, inequality being the next big step to take. The most threatening idea for the concertacion is, or should be, that their ardent adherence to neoliberalism, especially their unwillingness to regulate or challenge the economic elite, might be the underlying cause for such concentrated wealth in a society that for the most part isn’t progressing. Why is Hirsch the only one saying the obvious? What is good for the giant economic groups isn’t good for the rest of the population. This magical “trickle-down”, even if it weren’t a myth, is hardly something to get excited about. Maybe that explains why so many people didn’t register and vote for the ruling coalition.

Bolivia, it seems, has elected an indigenous man to govern the country. In Chile, a fifth candidate was denied his right to run for office. He literally rode into every major city in Chile on horseback collecting the signatures required by a constitution written by Pinochet's military government. His name was Aucan Wilkaman, a Mapuche (people of the earth) and an internationally recognized defender of indigenous rights. The official reason for his rejection was that the signatures he had collected weren't notarized as is required by law (a process which costs about 10 dollars for each signature), but I think the real reason Aucan was denied his right to represent the indigenous of Chile (which constitute about 10 percent of the population) is that the producers and writers of this election spectacle simply wouldn't have stomached setting up another podium for a dark-skinned contendor.

Television Girl

Didn't know that she’d be coming round my place
I should've seen it coming, she had that look on her face

“Would you like some coffee, tea, or a cigarette maybe?"
“Or have you come to tell me you just wanna be a friend to me?”

Well, that's not fair, I still love you!


OH, she’d do it so selfishly, television girl


She used to rob me of my weekends, where we'd do nothing
I'd watch her sleep all bloody night, until sunday morning

Well why don't you just wake the hell up, cause I'm sick of waiting
"Don't be so rude" she'd say, "it's my only day where I can sleep in"

“Don't you want some coffee, tea, or some cigarettes from the corner store?”
"Well, I can just head on down the road, you can stay here."

Well, that's not fair, I still love you.

She'd do it so selfishly, television girl

She does it, she does it, she reminds me of me, television girl.

Outside. She's outside!