IPU Logo    INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION
>>> VERSION FRANÇAISE  
   HOME -> PARLINE -> CHILE (Cámara de Diputados)
Print this pagePrint this page
PARLINE database new searchNew search
CHILE
Cámara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies)
ELECTIONS IN 2009

Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module

A historical Archive of past election results for this chamber can be found on a separate page

Parliament name (generic / translated) Congreso Nacional / National Congress
Structure of parliament Bicameral
Chamber name (generic / translated) Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies
Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) Senado / Senate
BACKGROUND
Dates of election / renewal (from/to) 13 December 2009
Purpose of elections Elections were held for all the seats in the Chamber of Deputies on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
The 2009 parliamentary and presidential elections were the first to be held since the death of Augusto Pinochet the country's dictator between 1973 and 1990. The centre-left Coalition for Democracy (CPD) had led the country since 1990.

In the previous elections which were held in December 2005 the CPD won 65 of the 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies; it also won 11 of the 20 seats renewed in the Senate making a total of 20 seats in the full 38-member Senate. The CPD comprised the Socialist Party (PS) the Christian Democrat Party of Chile (PDC) the Party for Democracy (PPD) and the Radical Social-Democratic Party (PRSD). Its main rival the centre-right Alliance for Chile (APC) took 54 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and eight of the seats up for renewal for a total of 17 seats in the Senate. The APC comprised the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) and the National Renovation Party (RN). In the presidential elections CPD candidate Michelle Bachelet won over RN candidate Sebastián Piñera Echenique becoming the first Chilean woman to assume the post.

In 2008 the country's economy which is largely dependent on copper exports was severely hit by the global economic crisis but recovered in short order thanks to copper revenues. Ms. Bachelet's administration was dealt a blow in October 2008 when centre-right parties won more mayorships than the CPD in local elections.

Although Ms. Bachelet enjoyed high popularity - she had a 77 per cent approval rating shortly before the elections - she was constitutionally barred from running for a second consecutive term. The CPD backed former president Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle whose father Mr. Eduardo Frei Montalva (PDC) had also served as president in the 1960s. A newly created centre-right alliance the Coalition for Change (CC) backed Mr. Piñera. The CC included the RN the UDI ChileFirst and the List B Independents. In addition two other coalitions - Clean Chile-Vote Happy and the New Majority for Chile - and the Pactfree Independents were also vying for seats.

No centre-right candidate had won the presidency since 1958. However in 2009 internal splits in the CPD reportedly gave a boost to the centre-right camp. In addition to the CPD's Eduardo Frei two left-wing candidates were running for president. In May 2009 Mr. Marco Enríquez-Ominami Gumucio announced that he would run as an independent candidate representing the "progressive left". The CPD criticized Mr. Enríquez for splitting the vote on the left. Mr. Enríquez is a son of Mr. Miguel Enríquez Espinosa the founder of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) who was assassinated by Pinochet's junta. Mr. Jorge Arrate MacNiven of the Communist Party (CP) led a far-left coalition Together We Can Go Further comprising over 50 parties and organizations including the CP the Humanist Party the Christian Left among others.

Despite Ms. Bachelet's popularity the CPD's candidate appeared to face an uphill battle to overcome memories of his first presidency (1994-2000) which had been overshadowed by the Asian financial crisis and soaring unemployment. He promised to continue Ms. Bachelet's policies renewed his commitment to environmental protection and human rights and pledged to fight exclusion and discrimination.

Meanwhile the centre-right CC presented a united front. Mr. Piñera (RN) a wealthy businessman urged voters to support "a true renaissance" of the country and pledged to build prudent fiscal policies. He promised corporate tax breaks and job subsidies to attract more investment. Some of Mr. Piñera's advisors had worked under Mr. Pinochet's regime. His opponents argued that his rule would be as "iron-fisted" as that of the former dictator. Such criticisms reportedly had little impact among the youngest voters who were born after the end of the dictatorship.

In the capital Santiago the centre-right coalition was challenged by Mr. Rodrigo García Pinochet a grandson of the former leader who was running for a seat in the Chamber of Deputies as an independent. His campaign used photos of his grandfather in a bid to win support in a constituency comprising two of the richest municipalities in the capital.

A total of 86.66 per cent of 8.3 million registered voters cast their ballots for the elections to the Chamber of Deputies while 84.63 per cent of 2.4 million registered voters for the partial Senate elections did so.

In the Chamber of Deputies the CC won 58 seats one more than the CPD. Clean Chile-Vote Happy and the Pactfree Independents took three and two seats respectively. In the Senate the CC and the CPD took nine seats each out of the 18 seats at stake. However the CPD remained the largest force in the Senate with 19 seats the CC holding 16. Seventeen women were elected to the Chamber of Deputies and three to the Senate which comprised a total of five women after the 2009 renewal.

Mr. Pinochet failed to win the seat he was contesting receiving only 10 per cent of the votes far less than the two CC candidates who were elected with over 30 per cent of the vote each.

In the presidential elections no candidate secured the requisite majority in the first round. A run-off election between Mr. Piñera who won 44 per cent of the vote and Mr. Frei who took 29 per cent took place on 17 January 2010. Mr. Piñera (RN) was elected with 52 per cent of the votes.
STATISTICS
Voter turnout
Round no 113 December 2009
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes
8'285'186
7'179'762 (86.66%)
640'192
6'539'570
Notes
Distribution of votes
Round no 1
Political Group Candidates Votes %
Coalition for Change (CC) 120 2'841'314 43.44
Coalition for Democracy (CPD) 120 2'901'503 44.36
Clean Chile-Vote Happy (Chile Limpio Vote Feliz) 92 353'325 5.40
Pactfree Independents (Fuera de Pacto) 18 144'663 2.21
Distribution of seats
Round no 1
Political Group Total
Coalition for Change (CC) 58
Coalition for Democracy (CPD) 57
Clean Chile-Vote Happy (Chile Limpio Vote Feliz) 3
Pactfree Independents (Fuera de Pacto) 2
Distribution of seats according to sex
Men
Women
Percent of women
103
17
14.17%
Distribution of seats according to age
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
Unknown
2
26
25
36
19
2
10
Distribution of seats according to profession
Legal profession 33
Education profession 13
Physician dentist 13
Agriculture/farming 10
Finance management or business 10
Research/sciences 9
Architect surveyor engineer 9
Others 8
Entrepreneur 3
Writer literary artist 2
Civil service and local authority administration 2
Clerical secretarial administration 2
Economist 2
Political party official 1
Journalism broadcasting media 1
Trade union official 1
Social worker 1
Comments
Sources:
http://www.elecciones.gov.cl/Sitio2009/index.html
IPU Group (21.12.2009 29.01.2010 15.02.2010)
http://elecciones.gob.cl/
http://www.servel.cl

Copyright 1996-2013 Inter-Parliamentary Union