2021 Chilean general election

General elections in Chile are scheduled to be held on Sunday November 21, 2021, including presidential, parliamentary and regional elections.

2021 Chilean general election

Presidential election
21 November 2021 (first round)
President before election Sebastián Piñera National Renewal Elected President TBD
Parliamentary election
November 21, 2021
All 155 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 27 of 50 seats in the Senate
Party Leader % Seats ± This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

Voters will head to the polls to elect:

• A President of the Republic to serve a four-year term.
• Twenty seven of 50 members of the Senate to serve an eight-year term in the National Congress.
• The full 155 members of the Chamber of Deputies to serve a four-year term in the National Congress.
• The full 278 members of the regional boards to serve a four-year term.

Following an electoral reform in 2015, the Senate increased its membership from 38 to 43 in 2017, and will grow to its full size of 50 seats following this election.[1]

All the newly elected authorities will begin their terms on March 11, 2022.

Electoral system

The President is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round will be held.[2]

In the National Congress, the 155 members of the Chamber of Deputies are elected from 28 multi-member constituencies with between three and eight seats by open list proportional representation. Seats are allocated by the d'Hondt method.[3] The 50 members of the Senate are elected for eight-year terms, with around half of the Senators renewed at each general election. Senators are elected from 16 multi-member constituencies of between two and five seats based on the regions The 2021 elections will see 27 members elected, representing the regions of Antofagasta, Biobío, Coquimbo, O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Ríos, Magallanes and Santiago Metropolitan Region.[4]

Presidential candidates

Chile Vamos candidate

The Chile Vamos center-right coalition is expected to define a single candidate for president during the legal primary to be held on 4 July 2021.

• 
  Mayor of Las Condes
  Joaquín Lavín
  (UDI)
• 
  Mayor of Providencia
  Evelyn Matthei
  (UDI)
• 
  Former Minister of Defense
  Mario Desbordes
  (RN)
• 
  Former Minister of Finance
  Ignacio Briones
  (Evópoli)
• 
  Former Minister of Soc. Dev.
  Sebastián Sichel
  (Independent)

Independent Democratic Union candidate

The Independent Democratic Union has not agreed on whether they should present a single candidate to the Chile Vamos primary or two. If a single candidate is chosen, a party primary between mayors Joaquín Lavín and Evelyn Matthei could take place.[5]

• Joaquín Lavín (UDI): Lavín studied economics at the University of Chicago. He was also a former economic appraiser of Pinochet, writing a book defending the economic plans supported by the dictatorship.[6][7] Today he is criticized for this, and promotes social housing programs for the poor.[8][9] He appeared as the candidate with the most votes in most polls.[10][11][12][13]
• Evelyn Matthei (UDI): Matthei is a right-wing politician. She studied at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. In 1993 she was the target of a scheme by Sebastián Piñera, to prevent her from becoming a candidate in a certain election.[14] She was a senator,[15] and ran in Chile's presidential elections in 2013.

Other candidates

• Mario Desbordes (RN): Desbordes became minister of Defense in July 2020. Before that he was a member of Congress in the Chamber of Deputies. He was also president of his party between 2018 and 2020, and secretary-general between 2010 and 2018. During the first administration of President Sebastián Piñera he had a stint as undersecretary of Investigations. He was proclaimed by the PRI party as their candidate on 29 December 2020.[16] On 23 January 2021 his own party —RN— chose him as their contender for the Chile Vamos primary race after winning nearly 73% of the vote of the General Council.[17]
• Ignacio Briones (Evópoli): Briones is an economist who was minister of Finance between 2019 and 2021. He was unanimously proclaimed by the Political Evolution party as their presidential candidate on 30 January 2021.[18]
• Sebastián Sichel (Ind.): Sichel was minister of Social Development and President of Banco Estado. He said he will participate as independent in a Chile Vamos primary.[19]

Constituent Unity candidate

The Constituent Unity center-left coalition is expected to define a single candidate for president during the legal primary to be held on 4 July 2021.

• 
  President of the PPD
  Heraldo Muñoz
  (PPD)
• 
  Former Spokesperson
  Paula Narváez
  (PS)
• 
  Senator for Const. 9
  Ximena Rincón
  (PDC)
• 
  President of the PR
  Carlos Maldonado
  (PR)
• 
  Former Minister of Finance
  Andrés Velasco
  (Citizens)
• 
  Former Deputy for Dist. 10
  Marco Enríquez-O.
  (PRO)

PPD-PS candidate

The Party for Democracy and the Socialist Party will present a single candidate for the 4 July 2021 primary. A "pre-primary" between both parties' candidates is to be held at an unknown date.[20] The candidates are:

• Heraldo Muñoz (PPD): The current President of the PPD and former Minister of Foreign Affairs became the PPD candidate after beating former Minister of Interior and Spokesperson Francisco Vidal and former Deputy for District 39 and Ambassador Jorge Tarud by 54% of the vote in a primary held on 31 January 2021.[21]
• Paula Narváez (PS): The former minister was proclaimed by the Socialist Party's Central committee as their presidential candidate on 28 January 2021 in a unanimous vote.[22] Her candidacy emerged after a December 2020 Change.org petition made by female members of the PS asking Narváez to become the party's candidate was signed by former president Michelle Bachelet.[23] In January 2021 both senator José Miguel Insulza and PS president Álvaro Elizalde dropped out of the race.[24]

Other candidates

• Ximena Rincón (PDC): The current senator was proclaimed as the Christian Democratic Party's candidate for president after she beat former mayor and minister Alberto Undurraga in a primary held on 24 January 2021. She won by 57% of the vote.[25]
• Carlos Maldonado (PR): The former minister of Justice and current president of the Radical Party was proclaimed as presidential candidate on 23 December 2020.[26]
• Andrés Velasco (Citizens): His party has said it is in the process of defining whether to propose their own candidate for president or to endorse another candidate from the Constituent Unity coalition. If the former, a possibility is to choose the former Finance minister and party founder.[27]
• Marco Enríquez-Ominami (PRO): His party has announced it will ask the three-time presidential candidate to be once again their contender for the November 2021 election. The petition is to be formally presented in early February 2021.[28]

Other candidates

• 
  Mayor of Recoleta
  Daniel Jadue
  (PC)
• 
  Deputy for District 12
  Pamela Jiles
  (PH)

• Daniel Jadue (PC): Jadue is a Marxist, a member of the Communist Party of Chile. He studied Sociology at the University of Chile, and also studied Total Quality Management at the Catholic University of the North.[29] He appeared as the candidate with the most votes in several polls.[30][31][32]
• Pamela Jiles (PH): Jiles is a journalist,[33] television personality and leftist politician. She pursues her political career as deputy of the Republic of Chile for the District No. 12 in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago. She comes from a family of communists, and has praised Fidel Castro.[34] She appeared with the most votes in just one poll.[35]

References

1. "El sistema electoral pasa su prueba de fuego". La Tercera.
2. Republic of Chile: Election for President IFES
3. Chile: Cámara de Diputados (Chamber of Deputies): Electoral system IPU
4. Chile: Senado (Senate): Electoral system IPU
5. https://www.elmostrador.cl/destacado/2020/12/13/lavin-o-matthei-nuevo-timonel-de-la-udi-no-descarta-primaria-para-zanjar-candidatura-presidencial/
6. "Currículum Vitae de Joaquín Lavin" (in Spanish). Retrieved December 10, 2020.
7. "Folha de S.Paulo - Caso Pinochet: Ex-ditador é tabu entre candidatos - 09/01/2000". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
8. editor (June 11, 2020). "[OPINION] Los silencios de "La revolución silenciosa" de Lavín (por Gato Dequinta)". Diario La Quinta de Valparaíso (in Spanish). Retrieved December 10, 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
9. Noticias, C. H. V. "Primer enfrentamiento entre vecinos por edificio social en Las Condes". CHV Noticias (in Spanish). Retrieved December 10, 2020.
10. "PULSO CIUDADANO Noviembre 2020/ Primera Quincena (12 al 14 de Noviembre)" (PDF).
11. https://plazapublica.cl/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Track-PP-357-Noviembre-S2.pdf
12. https://www.activasite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Pulso_ciudadano_OCTUBRE_Q2.pdf
13. https://www.activasite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Pulso-Ciudadano-Septiembre-Q2.pdf
14. "La Tercera - El caso Piñeragate y la bomba que dejó caer Ricardo Claro sobre RN". web.archive.org. May 11, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
15. http://www.latercera.com/noticia/politica/2013/07/674-533523-9-nueve-claves-que-han-marcado-la-carrera-politica-de-evelyn-matthei.shtml
16. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2020/12/29/1007936/PRI-proclama-a-Desbordes.html
17. https://www.pauta.cl/politica/consejo-general-de-rn-proclama-a-mario-desbordes-como-presidenciable
18. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2021/01/30/1010839/Evopoli-Ignacio-Briones-candidato-presidencial.html
19. https://www.cnnchile.com/pais/sebastian-sichel-candidato-independiente-primaria-chiela-vamos_20201220/
20. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2021/01/30/1010857/PDD-confirma-prepimarias-PS-presidenciales.html
21. https://www.latercera.com/politica/noticia/heraldo-munoz-vence-a-vidal-en-primarias-presidenciales-del-ppd-luego-de-conflictivo-proceso/2WOSTEFGGFCHRA27ZDWBOYEO2Q/
22. https://www.latercera.com/politica/noticia/partido-socialista-proclama-a-paula-narvaez-como-su-candidata-presidencial-se-que-estaremos-a-la-altura-del-desafio-de-este-nuevo-chile-que-emerge/76MLYGRB45BFZKTFTM3TKNIODQ/
23. https://www.pauta.cl/politica/con-la-venia-de-bachelet-como-paula-narvaez-mueve-las-aguas
24. https://www.elmostrador.cl/destacado/2021/01/16/via-libre-para-narvaez-en-el-ps-insulza-asume-cuota-de-realidad-y-se-baja-de-la-carrera-presidencial/
25. https://www.pauta.cl/politica/ximena-rincon-primarias-presidenciales-dc-triunfo
26. https://www.emol.com/noticias/Nacional/2020/12/23/1007423/PR-Carlos-Maldonado-candidato-presidencial.html
27. https://www.pauta.cl/politica/andres-velasco-candidato-presidencial-ciudadanos-primarias-dudas
28. https://www.pauta.cl/politica/andres-velasco-candidato-presidencial-ciudadanos-primarias-dudas
29. "Daniel Jadue – Daniel Jadue". web.archive.org. October 29, 2020. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
30. https://www.tuinfluyes.com/assets/estudios/ESTUDIO_TUINFLUYES_OCTUBRE_2020.pdf
31. https://fielchile.cl/v2/barometro-del-trabajo/
32. https://www.criteria.cl/descargas/Agenda_Criteria_Agosto_2020_6y7fw.pdf
33. "Yo, Pamela". www.webcitation.org. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
34. "La candidatura va en serio". www.webcitation.org. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
35. https://www.activasite.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Pulso_ciudadano_NOVIEMBRE_Q2.pdf

See also

2021 Chilean Election Polls (in spanish)