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Piñera Has Good Chance to Win in Chile
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Businessman Sebastián Piñera remains popular in his bid to become Chile’s next head of state, according to a poll by CEP. In a hypothetical scenario, 41 per cent of respondents would vote for Piñera of the opposition conservative National Renewal (RN) party in this year’s election.
Former president Eduardo Frei of the ruling Agreement of Parties for Democracy (CPD) is second with 31 per cent, followed by current senator Alejandro Navarro of the Broad Social Movement (MAS) with four per cent, and independent senator Adolfo Zaldívar with three per cent.
In two other hypothetical scenarios, Piñera would also get 41 per cent of the vote, defeating former president Ricardo Lagos of the CPD, Zaldívar, and former presidential candidate Tomás Hirsch of the leftist Humanist Party (PH).
The CPD’s Michelle Bachelet—a former defence minister—was elected in a January 2006 run-off with 53.49 per cent of all cast ballots. Piñera was second with 46.51 per cent.
Since taking office, Bachelet has faced massive protests staged by high school students complaining about the poor quality of public education, as well as street demonstrations in Santiago, the capital city, over the botched implementation of a new transportation program called Transantiago.
The centre-left CPD—which includes the Socialist Party (PS), the Christian-Democratic Party of Chile (PCD), the Party for Democracy (PD) and the Radical Social-Democratic Party (PRSD)—has not lost a single presidential election in Chile since the return of democracy after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet in March 1990.
In October 2008, Piñera’s RN achieved significant victories in local elections across the country. For the first time, centre-right parties have more elected mayors than centre-left organizations.
On Dec. 13, Frei was unanimously nominated by PCD members as the party’s presidential candidate. Frei will take part in the CPD’s primary in April. Frei served as Chile’s president from 1994 to 2000.
On Dec. 31, Frei criticized Bachelet’s administration for its handling of the current economic slowdown, saying, "The general measures [taken] are going in the right direction, but they must be implemented. I think it has been slow."
Bachelet is ineligible for a consecutive term in office. The next presidential election in Chile is scheduled for December 2009.
Polling Data
If the presidential election took place this Sunday, who would you vote for?
Option 1
|
Sebastián Piñera |
41% |
|
Eduardo Frei |
31% |
|
Alejandro Navarro |
4% |
|
Adolfo Zaldívar |
3% |
|
Would not vote |
12% |
|
Not sure |
10% |
Option 2
|
Sebastián Piñera |
41% |
|
Ricardo Lagos |
30% |
|
Alejandro Navarro |
4% |
|
Adolfo Zaldívar |
3% |
|
Would not vote |
12% |
|
Not sure |
10% |
Option 3
|
Sebastián Piñera |
41% |
|
Ricardo Lagos |
31% |
|
Tomás Hirsch |
4% |
|
Adolfo Zaldívar |
3% |
|
Would not vote |
11% |
|
Not sure |
10% |
Source: Centro de Estudios Públicos (CEP)
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,505 Chilean adults, conducted from Nov. 19 to Dec. 11, 2008. Margin of error is 3.0 per cent.