2008 Woodie Awards
Chilean Elections: A Native's Perspective
Sebastian J. Echeverria
Issue date: 1/19/06 Section: World Views
Sunday afternoon I was in Washington, DC with fellow Chilean citizens ready to follow on TV the second round of Chile's presidential election. Frustrated because of our inability to vote we were still confident on the triumph of our candidate; we were ready to celebrate. With Chilean flags all over the house, a bunch of guests -myself included- wine and sandwiches we anticipated the victory of the first female elected president in Latin America. Michelle Bachelet, a socialist pediatrician and former minister of Health and Defense of today's president, Ricardo Lagos, confronted the billionaire right-wing Sebastián Piñera in the election.
Ms. Bachelet represents the Socialist Party and its coalition with Progresists and Christian Democrats, which has governed Chile since the end of Pinochet's right-wing dictatorship in 1990. She also represents the opportunities of women in a conservative men-ruled country and, more important, the reconciliation of a country still divided over a dictatorship that overcame the first socialist government elected in the world in 1973, which killed, tortured and exiled thousands of Chileans.
Our hopes were up. In the first round on December 15 2005, she got the 45 percent of the votes while her contender got just 26 percent. The remaining 30 percent were obtained by another right-wing conservative and a leftist alliance with 24 percent and 5 percent each. At the same time, the coalition supporting Ms. Bachelet obtained majority in both Congress cameras and Lagos' ending government, which Ms. Bachelet represented continuity, have more than 60 percent of approving within Chileans.
At about 6:30 p.m. Chilian time (4:30 p.m. on the American West Coast) the Government announced the first official numbers, with more than 60 percent of votes collected, Ms. Bachelet obtained 53.22 percent while Mr. Piñera got 46.77 percent. 5 points were impossible to turn around. Piñera recognized his defeat around 7:00 p.m. and Chile got a new president. "Who would've thought this, my friends? Who would've thought 20, 10 or 5 years ago that Chile would choose a woman for being president? It looked hard but it was possible. It is possible because the citizens wanted, because democracy allowed it," she said to the thousands who went over the central avenue in Santiago to celebrate.
On March 11 she will offically receive the position of President, assuming the challenge of leading Chile to its bicentenary; hopefully as a developed nation.
Ms. Bachelet represents the Socialist Party and its coalition with Progresists and Christian Democrats, which has governed Chile since the end of Pinochet's right-wing dictatorship in 1990. She also represents the opportunities of women in a conservative men-ruled country and, more important, the reconciliation of a country still divided over a dictatorship that overcame the first socialist government elected in the world in 1973, which killed, tortured and exiled thousands of Chileans.
Our hopes were up. In the first round on December 15 2005, she got the 45 percent of the votes while her contender got just 26 percent. The remaining 30 percent were obtained by another right-wing conservative and a leftist alliance with 24 percent and 5 percent each. At the same time, the coalition supporting Ms. Bachelet obtained majority in both Congress cameras and Lagos' ending government, which Ms. Bachelet represented continuity, have more than 60 percent of approving within Chileans.
At about 6:30 p.m. Chilian time (4:30 p.m. on the American West Coast) the Government announced the first official numbers, with more than 60 percent of votes collected, Ms. Bachelet obtained 53.22 percent while Mr. Piñera got 46.77 percent. 5 points were impossible to turn around. Piñera recognized his defeat around 7:00 p.m. and Chile got a new president. "Who would've thought this, my friends? Who would've thought 20, 10 or 5 years ago that Chile would choose a woman for being president? It looked hard but it was possible. It is possible because the citizens wanted, because democracy allowed it," she said to the thousands who went over the central avenue in Santiago to celebrate.
On March 11 she will offically receive the position of President, assuming the challenge of leading Chile to its bicentenary; hopefully as a developed nation.