| 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) |
13 December 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for 18 seats in the Senate 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 1 | 13 December 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
2'392'477
2'024'823 (84.63%)
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| Coalition for Democracy (CPD) |
|
809'696 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Coalition for Change (CC) |
|
843'009 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Pactfree Independents (Fuera de Pacto) |
|
4'422 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Seats 2009 |
|
|
|
| Coalition for Democracy (CPD) |
19
|
9 |
|
|
|
| Coalition for Change (CC) |
16
|
9 |
|
|
|
| Pactfree Independents (Fuera de Pacto) |
2
|
0 |
|
|
|
| Independents |
1
|
0 |
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
15
3
16.67%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
Over 70 years
|
3
7
19
6
3
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Legal profession |
18 |
| Finance
management or business |
3 |
| Research/sciences |
3 |
| Architect
surveyor
engineer |
3 |
| Physician
dentist |
3 |
| Education profession |
2 |
| Economist |
2 |
| Others |
2 |
| Entrepreneur |
1 |
| Journalism
broadcasting
media |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Note: Three of the 18 Senators elected in 2009 were women. As at 29 January 2010
there were five women out of the total 38 senators.
Sources:
IPU Group (29.01.2010
15.02.2010)
http://elecciones.gob.cl/
http://www.servel.cl |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
