Sebastián Piñera’s hard setback in 12 terms, including eight won by the classic center-left

The classic center-left is the big winner of the regional elections in Chile which took place this Sunday, in which he obtained eight of the thirteen governorates (provinces) at stake, including that of Santiago, the largest and most strategic in the country, with 99.3% of the votes counted. On the other hand, the ruling right of President Sebastián Piñera it only prevailed in Araucania, in the south transandin.

It is the first time in history Chile elects the authorities of its governorates. Previously, they were handpicked by the national government, which is why they are considered crucial elections for the decentralization of the country.

Three of the country’s 16 regions they did not celebrate a second round, since the winners were chosen in the first round of May with more than 40% of the votes: the independent list of Front Large, Rodrigo Mundaca, in Valparaíso (center); the socialist Andrea Macías Palma, in Aysén (south); and the independent leftist of the Constituent Unit block Jorge Flies, in Magallanes (south).

However, after the poll this Sunday, it is clear that the traditional center-left will rule in ten of the country’s 16 regions: eight of them got this Sunday and the other two in the first team.

Its most resounding result was that of the government of the metropolitan area, where the Constituent Unit (left and center) gained power over the capital, in which Christian Democrat Claudio Orrego won 52.6% of the vote against 47.7% of Karina Oliva, of the Frente Amplio (FA), a coalition born in 2017 as a renewed but more radical left.

In the rich eastern sector of Santiago, Orrego received strong support, while Oliva accumulated the votes of the popular municipalities of Greater Santiago.

The traditional center-left also prevailed this Sunday in the regions of Arica and Parinacota; Antofagasta; O’Higgins; Maule; corn ; Los Rios and Los Lagos.

A similarity of this Sunday’s poll with the last mega-election on May 15 and 16 is that the self-employed are once again central players of this new Chilean political map, which seems to be the son of the social outbreak that rocked the country in October 2019.

On this occasion, the independent candidates and non-traditional parties found themselves with a third of the 155 seats in the Constituent Convention, inflicting a defeat on the conservative right which failed to win.

In this Sunday’s ballot, the independent candidates won in four regions: Miguel Vargas, in Atacama, with nearly 60% of the votes against the representative of the Constituent Unit coalition which brought together the parties that were part of the Concertación; the ecologist Krist Naranjo in Coquimbo with more than 62% of the votes; Rodrigo Diaz in Biobio with more than 71%; and the independent José Miguel Carvajal in alliance with the FA in Tarapacá.

Thirteen million people were called to vote, with a lower turnout (19%) than in the first round (43%) due to the pandemic and the new quarantine.

The results of this election will be read by the governorates for the presidential elections on November 21.

The governor of the capital region holds the most voted post after that of head of state and will be the regional authority of more than 7 million inhabitants, to be able to become a figure as a pre-candidate for the presidency.

The triumphant Orrego, at the head of the Christian Democrats, could also support a moderate aspirant. Instead, Oliva would lead the axis of the radical left, which will seek to promote the broad front Gabriel Boric, or the Communist Party, Daniel Jadue, which leads the polls.

The elected will take up his post on July 14 for a period of four years and they will become high visibility authorities and, in many cases, territorial checks and balances in centralized Santiago.

Source agencies