Confounding Experts, a Familiar Face Returns to Power in Chile.
| Autor | Witte-Lebhar, Benjamin |
In early 2006, when the race for the presidency resulted in a runoff between billionaire businessman Sebastian Pinera, a conservative, and Michelle Bachelet, of the center-left Partido Socialista (Socialist Party, PS), little did voters know just how thoroughly the two figures would dominate Chile's political landscape over the next dozen years and counting.
In that contest--the first and only time the two heavyweights would go head-to-head--Bachelet came out on top, earning herself a place in history as the country's first female head of state (NotiSur, Jan. 20, 2006). But four years later, with Bachelet barred by term-limit rules from seeking immediate reelection, it was Pinera who made history, beating former president Eduardo Frei (1994-2000) to become the first rightist leader of Chile since democracy was restored in 1990 (NotiSur, Jan. 22, 2010). Not to be outdone, Bachelet stormed her way back into the presidency in 2014, this time with an ambitious reform agenda and a comfortable majority in Congress (NotiSur, Feb. 21, 2014). Now, though, the two-time president is preparing, once again, to cede power to Pinera, who secured his own second term with a surprisingly comfortable win (54.6% versus 45.4%) over Sen. Alejandro Guillier in Chile's Dec. 17 runoff election.
The runoff result left analysts scratching their heads, especially as it came in the wake of a first-round contest, held Nov. 19, in which Pinera fared significantly worse than anticipated (he finished first, but with only 36.6% of the vote), and a far-left candidate, radio journalist Beatriz Sanchez of the upstart Frente Amplio coalition (Broad Front, FA), greatly exceeded expectations (NotiSur, Dec. 1, 2017). Adding to the confusion are the surveys that for years have suggested that Chileans are fed up with the country's principal political parties and their aging leadership cadre. And yet, given the choice between Pinera and Guillier, a relative newcomer to politics, voters opted once again for a familiar face.
The question of why or how Pinera secured his second term in power--especially given the serious popularity problems he experienced during his first stint in office (2010-2014)--is very much up for debate. Certainly, though, Chile's anemic economic growth numbers over the past few years played a role, as did Bachelet's poor, second-term approval ratings, which nosedived beginning in early 2015 after her son and daughter-in-law were implicated in an embarrassing...
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