The results in Chile represent a second round between far-right and left-wing candidates

Santiago – Candidates From left, Gabriel Borick, Yes Right, Jose Antonio Cast, Will dispute the second round Presidential election in Chile, As indicated by the initial results of this Sunday’s referendum. The first referendum in 16 years did not feature either former president Michael Bachelet or current head of state Sebastian Pinera from the center – left. The second round of controversy took place on December 19.

With 85% of the vote counted, Cost came in first with 28.06%, followed by Borick in second and 25.48% of the vote – to win the first round, one of the candidates must have received more than 50% of the valid votes.

– I would like to congratulate Jose Antonio Cast and Gabriel Boric on winning the first round. I want you to always seek the paths of peace, not violence, but the path of responsibility, not populism. Moderation is not polarization, ”Pinera said in a speech to the Palacio de la Moneta last night.

Anti-organization populist Franco Paris – who spent his entire campaign in the United States where he lives – is in third place with 13.10% of the vote. His proposals include tax cuts for the middle class, changes in the pension system and the creation of a “rockotromo” for Chilean bands. In such a controversial referendum, Paris’ support would become crucial.

In the final vote count, Finera’s candidate, Sebastian Chichel, advanced to fourth place with 12.48% of the vote. In initial statements after the preliminary results, he stated that he was not going to vote for the particular war that the “extreme left” had opened the door to talks about support for Cast.

Yasna Provoste of the Christian Democrats was pushed to fifth place with 11.81% of the vote from the center-left. She signaled that she would support the fight in the second round.

– Our preference can never be neutral. I congratulate Gabriel and it will be very important for the next few hours. [ouvir] What he is going to propose to the country, ”Provost declared.

Even today it is not possible to say who led the controversy because most of the votes counted came from the interior, where the caste has an advantage over the war. In the metropolitan area, where the left-wing candidate is leading, the turnout is even lower.

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In addition to the presidency, the Chileans elected councilors, 155 delegates and 27 members of the Senate, which will go from 43 to 50 seats. Neither party will get a majority in Congress, which is expected to pose an additional challenge to the future president.

The poll-related numbers have not yet been released, but expectations are high for higher turnout than in recent years. In the afternoon, the Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Gloria Hut, revealed that the number of passengers on public transport and the number of vehicles on the streets were higher than what was seen in the vote approving the addition of one block. Conference on the Change of Letter from the Dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

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Considering the two rounds of voting since the end of compulsory voting in 2012, no more than 50% of the electorate has voted in any of the presidential elections – in last year’s 50.8% of eligible voters. Since the beginning of the year, a bill to reinstate the mandatory system has been in Congress.

Immediately after voting in Santiago, Pinara said, “the participation of our people gives strength to democracy.” – Again we are holding clean and transparent elections. We show a worldwide example of how democracy works in Chile.

This Sunday’s referendum in Chile has been identified as the most polarized and uncertain since the return to democracy in 1990. Without the key role of Bachelet and Pinera, and the fragmentation of the central parties, The effect of hatred on the policies of recent years And the reflection of the protests that have rocked the country since 2019 shows that the numbers in the poll show voters expect change. Young people, in particular, are the group that has recorded the lowest turnout at polling stations in recent years.

“We have to vote,” Felipe Rojas, a 24-year-old student, told AFP. – The country needs change, we are tired of the same politicians.

According to Art Director Pedro Tordora, the high turnout of young people in the poll is explained by the desire to re-evaluate the agenda of social movements launched in 2019.

– Changes occur not only on the streets but also at the ballot boxes. That is why it is important not only for the youth to vote, but for the people as a whole to make a real difference, ”Tardora told AFP.

Opposite views

Now, voters will have two radically opposed plans to Chile’s mandate from 2022.

The first Chilean hardliner did not hide his admiration for the legacy of the dictatorship led by Jose Antonio Cast, Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), which won him support. Nostalgic areas of the population, but it also acted as a “glass ceiling” throughout the campaign.

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Earlier this month, during a meeting with foreign correspondents, he said the Pinochet regime could not be considered a dictatorship, adding that it had “handed over power and transformed it into a democracy.” Nicaragua and Venezuela. This speech was considered disastrous by political analysts.

In another negative moment, it had a normal performance In the last debate between the candidates, Points were raised by the war from her plan, including the termination of the Ministry of Women and the increase in pensions only for military veterans.

However, its pro-economic liberal stance and its support for conservative agendas have had a positive effect on some sections of the electorate. It also attracted Pinera’s allies. In his campaign closing speech on Thursday, he returned to defend the military coup against President Salvador Allende in 1973, drawing parallel to the current moment in the country. When voting this Sunday, he wanted a lighter tone.

– This is a very different election, in which we were able to grow because we created a research center, a party, a national presence and expanded our candidates. We had more public exposure than we had four years ago, ”said Cast, quoting La Tercera. – There were many months to campaign for all the candidates, today we have to put our views and wait for the people to vote, in an independent and informed way.

Recent reports:At the end of the campaigns in Chile, Borik defended more social rights and admired the legacy of the Cast dictatorship.

In turn, Gabriel Borick, Castin’s opponent, wants to break with the system precisely derived from Pinochet, and this is beginning to change with the expansion of a new constitution, backed by Frende Amblio’s candidate. He defends the state’s greater participation in the economy, tax increases for the upper classes, and advances in behavioral guidelines such as legalizing same-sex abortion and marriage.

Coming from the student movement, he took an active part in the October 2019 struggles and was appointed one of the stitchers around the treaty calling for a referendum on constitutional reform. Unlike other left-wing leaders in Latin America, he has a tough stance on dictatorial regimes such as Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, thus seeking to dispel the image of extremism – with Frende Amblio on his ticket, including its summary. The Communist Party, which was part of Salvador Allende’s People’s Solidarity, was overthrown in the 1973 coup.

– This is a historic moment, but it’s not just about one person, but a collective project, it’s possible to overcome fear, create a fair, dignified Chile – Boric, declared before depositing your votes. The candidate also denied that he had delayed at a polling station in Punta Arenas (South) because he had forgotten his identity card at home.