| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Congreso Nacional / National Congress |
| Structure of parliament |
Bicameral |
| Chamber name (generic / translated) |
Senado / Senate |
| Related chamber (for bicameral parliaments) |
Cámara de Diputados / Chamber of Deputies
|
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
11 December 2005 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for 20 of the elective seats in the Senate on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
In the wake of the constitutional reforms of August 2005 which abolished the seats reserved for non-elected senators (See note)
parliamentary elections were held in parallel with the presidential election on 11 December 2005. At stake were all 120 seats for the Chamber of Deputies
and 20 of the 38 seats in the new Senate. This included the seat vacated by former Christian Democrat senator
Jorge Lavandero.
In the previous elections held in 2001
the ruling centre-left Coalition for Democracy (CPD)
composed of the Socialist Party (PS)
the Christian-Democratic Party of Chile (PDC)
the Party for Democracy (PPD)
and the Radical Social-Democratic Party (PRSD)
won 62 of 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
and 9 of 18 renewed seats in the Senate. The coalition first came to power in 1990. Its main rival
the centre-right Alliance for Chile (APC)
composed of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) and the National Renovation Party (RN)
won 57 seats in the Chamber of Deputies
and 9 of the 18 renewed seats in the Senate.
The main issues at the 2005 elections were how to deal with crime
unemployment
health
education
and poverty. One of the leading presidential candidates
former PS defence minister
Ms. Michelle Bachelet
vowed to implement greater regional trade integration and a better social security and pension system. Her main rival
billionaire and former senator
Mr. Sebastián Piñera of the RN
pledged to modernize the national police force and introduce tough policies on crime. He distanced himself from his partner in the APC coalition
Mr. Joaquin Lavín
leader of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI). The latter was also a presidential candidate. He had narrowly come second to Mr. Ricardo Lagos in the country's first presidential run-off in 1999. The UDI promised to create one million new jobs by 2011 and combat poverty and inflation.
There were 8.2 million registered voters in the country of 16.2 million inhabitants. As voting is compulsory
turnout has been traditionally high. It stood at 86 per cent (Chamber of Deputies) and 87 per cent (Senate) in the 2005 elections.
The CPD fared well in both polls. It obtained the majority in both chambers of parliament for the first time since the return of democracy in 1990
winning 11 of the 20 renewed seats in the Senate. It thereby increased its number of seats to 20 out of 38. In the Chamber of Deputies
it secured 65 of the 120 seats
including two independents allied to it. The number of seats going to the Alliance for Chile (APC) and allied independents was reduced to 54 in the Chamber of Deputies and 17 in the Senate. One remaining seat in each chamber went to independent candidates.
In the presidential run-offs held on 15 January 2006
the CPD candidate
Ms. Michelle Bachelet
secured 53.5 per cent of the poll
becoming Chile's first woman president.
The new National Congress convened on 11 March 2006 and elected Mr. Antonio Leal as President of the Chamber of Deputies and Mr. Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle as President of the Senate.
Note:
The nine seats reserved for appointed members as well as the lifetime senatorial appointment held by the former president of the Republic were abolished
thus reducing the number of Senate seats from 48 to 38. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 11 December 2005 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
5'863'704
5'121'193 (87.34%)
406'085
4'715'108 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Coalition for Democracy (CPD) |
20 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Alliance for Chile (APC) |
19 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Elections 2005 |
|
|
|
| Coalition for Democracy (CPD) |
20
|
11 |
|
|
|
| Alliance for Chile (APC) |
17
|
8 |
|
|
|
| Independents |
1
|
1 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
18
2
5.26%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Preliminary results.
Source: http://elecciones.gob.cl/
Note on the "Distribution of seats according to sex":
The "Distribution of seats according to sex" below shows the breakdown for the MPs elected in 2005: 2 women of 20 members
or 10.00%.
After the 2005 elections
there were 2 women in all out of 48 members
or 4.17%.
The Coalition for Democracy (CPD) is composed of the following parties (seats won by each party in the 2005 elections):
- Christian Democratic Party (PDC) (5 seats)
- Party for Democracy (PPD) (1 seat)
- Socialist Party (PS) (4 seats)
- Radical Party (PRSD) (1 seat)
The Alliance for Chile (APC) is composed of the following parties:
- Independent Democratic Union (UDI) (5 seats)
- National Renovation Party (RN) (3 seats) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
