Chile votes in what could be a close presidential run-off
SANTIAGO — Chilean voters will decide their next president today, Sunday, in a run-off election whose outcome is far from certain after an unexpectedly strong surge for the left.
Sebastian Pinera, a conservative billionaire and former president who ruled from 2010-2014, is trying for a comeback to succeed center-left incumbent leader Michelle Bachelet, who is constitutionally excluded from standing again.
But his plan could be upset by Alejandro Guillier, a senator and veteran TV presenter who is Bachelet's candidate.
In the first round, on November 19, Pinera went in as the runaway favorite—but then garnered a lowerthan-expected 37 percent of the vote to Guillier's 22 percent.
Most problematically for Pinera, a surprising 20 percent of ballots went to a third-placed radical-left candidate, Beatriz Sanchez, and many could now go Guillier's way.
"The election will probably come down to a difference of less than 20,000 votes," said political scientist Marcello Mella at the University of Santiago.
Voting will begin at 8:00 am (1100 GMT) and end at 6:00 pm (2100 GMT), with official results expected within the following two hours.
With a possibly tight race before them, both candidates fiercely wooed the 13.4 million voters. A high turnout would benefit Guillier, analysts said.