Piñera’s hard defeat in governors’ elections, ruling party prevailed in only one region

The great battle of this day was the Metropolitan Region of Santiago, the most important district of the country: the Christian Democracy Claudio Orrego became the first governor elected with 52.7% of the vote, against 47.3% of Karina oliva Front Large, when 99.97% of polling stations were scrutinized.

During his first speech as governor-elect, Orrego assured to assume “this triumph with great humility and an immense sense of responsibility”, while stressing that “this election shows that good politics can be done and touch the heart of the Chileans ”. highlighted the work ahead.

“Raising the metropolitan area after the pandemic will be very difficult, with a legacy of pain, unemployment, health and education issues,” Orrego said.

The new metropolitan governor sent a conciliatory message, inviting those who did not support his project to join him in achieving his goal of “urban and territorial justice for the whole region”.

“It is important that we banish disqualifications, hatred, lies, the desire to divide ourselves into friends and enemies. We are all inhabitants of the region,” he said.

For his part, Oliva congratulated his opponent, wished “that he builds a region for all” and expressed that “we need the military and look to the other a force to build a more just country”.

Before defining the Metropolitan Region, the 12 other districts in play were already practically defined and, as in the first round, The first conclusion at the national level is that the ruling party led by President Piñera has suffered yet another hard defeat.

Already, he had managed to register only a few ballots -9 out of 13-, but with the ballots defined, the center-right party in power only won one region: Araucania.

100% scrutinized, the candidate of the alliance Chile Vamos, which brings together the four forces of the ruling coalition at the national level, Luciano Rivas, won with 58.21% of the vote, far from Eugenio Tuma of the center-left Democracy Party, with 41.79%, according to the official count.

Another similarity with the mega-election of May 15 and 16 is that The independents have once again become important players in this new political map which is emerging and which seems to be the son of the social outbreak that shook the country in October 2019.

Independent candidates won three regions: Miguel Vargas in Atacama with nearly 60% of the vote against the representative of the Constituent Unity coalition which brought together the parties that were part of the Concertación; the ecologist Christ Orange in Coquimbo with nearly 62% of the vote in front of the Independent Democratic Union of Pinochet (UDI), and Rodrigo Diaz in Biobio with more than 71% compared to another UDI leader.

The center-left Constituent Unity, more closely linked to traditional parties like the Christian Democracy (DC) and the Socialist Party (PS), which were hit hard in May, not only by the advance of the independents but by that of the left, they had a better performance today.

DC candidates won in Arica and Parinacota, Maule and De los lagos, while Socialists in Ñuble, De los Ríos and Libertador Bernardo O’Higgings, according to official data.

In the first of these regions, 100% controlled, Jorge diaz of DC prevailed with more than 57% in Enrique lee of the center-right alliance in power.

In Maule, for his part, Cristina Bravo won with more than 57% the independents Francisco Pulgar, with all tables scanned.

And finally, in the Lake District, Patrick Vallespin He won with more than 62% a candidate from Piñera’s party, Ricardo kuschel, which obtained more than 37%.

Socialism, meanwhile, won by the hand of Pablo Silva in Libertador Bernardo O’Higgings with more than 57% compared to another leader of the UDI; Oscar Crisostomo won the title with almost 53% against this same right-wing force; and Luis Cuvertino won in Los Ríos with more than 59% against a leader of the Piñera party.

The Constituent Unit also added another government, that of the Antofagasta Region, led by an independent, Ricardo diaz, with 72% of the vote against another leader of the National Renovation, the force of Piñera.

Finally, the left-wing force of the Communes imposed itself in Tarapacá with the candidacy of José Miguel Carvajal, with 57% against a Constituent Unity leader.

The poll, which took place in 13 of the 16 regions, was marked by a rebound in coronavirus cases, which led the health authorities to declare yesterday quarantine throughout the metropolitan region.

However, Chileans did not need to obtain special permits to go and vote, as this was allowed just with the ID.

Chile has accumulated nearly 1.5 million confirmed cases and more than 30,000 deaths from the coronavirus, since the start of the pandemic.

At the national level, these elections resulted in a very negative balance of power for the center-right of Piñera: the Constituent Unit obtained 1,198,254 votes (47.48%), the Frente Amplio 723,725 (28.68%), the ruling party Chile Vamos 340,213 (13.48%) and the independents 261,678 ( 10.37%).

Data is no less.

The next big Chilean election will be that of the president, on Sunday, November 21 Although before, there will be primaries on July 18, in which the left-wing force I Approve Dignidad and the center-right coalition Chile Vamos will participate, since the Constituent Unit did not reach an agreement and will go directly to the presidential elections with candidates.