(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Chile think businessman Sebastián Piñera will become the country’s next president, according to a poll by CERC. 37 per cent of respondents believe the conservative National Renewal (RN) party member will win the presidential ballot scheduled for late 2009.

Former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos Escobar of the governing Agreement of Parties for Democracy (CPD)—who has ruled out seeking a new term—is a distant second with seven per cent, followed by former president Eduardo Frei with five per cent, and current Organization of American States (OAS) secretary-general José Miguel Insulza and former foreign minister Soledad Alvear both with four per cent. Two-in-five respondents are undecided.

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.

On Oct. 26, Piñera’s RN made gains in local elections across the country. For the first time, centre- right parties have more elected mayors than centre-left organizations. Piñera hailed the results as "a great triumph" for his party and assured that Chileans are ready to support the right in next year’s presidential ballot.

Bachelet is ineligible for a consecutive term in office. The next presidential election in Chile is scheduled for December 2009.

Polling Data

Who do you think will be the next president of Chile?

Source: Centro de Estudios de la Realidad Contemporánea (CERC).
Methodology: Interviews with 1,200 Chilean adults, conducted from Sept. 26 to Oct. 7, 2008. Margin of error is 3 per cent.

Archive Search

Over 19,700 Polls
Search the Angus Reid Global Monitor Polls & Research archive.