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| Caribbean-Latin America |
| Conservative ends 20 years of center-left rule in Chile |
| 2010-01-18 |
| With 60 percent of the votes counted, the Chilean Interior Ministry has declared billionaire Sebastian Pinera the winner of Sunday's runoff presidential election with 51.87 percent of the tally. His rival, left-leaning former president, Eduardo Frei, has conceded defeat. The victory by the conservative Pinera, of the National Renewal Party, ends Chile's 20 years of center-left rule and shifts the country to the right. The Concertacion coalition of four leftwing and centrist parties had ruled since Genearal Augusto Pinochet's 1973-1990 dictatorship ended. Pinera, who owns one of Chile's four television networks and a big stake in flagship airline LAN among many other business interests, will most likely continue the social policies that left President Michelle Bachelet with sky-high popularity ratings of around 80 percent, pundits say. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 Chile has a functioning democracy and economy, which is a significant achievement compared to most of its neighbors. The Hugos of latin america cannot stand to be reminded of this. |
| Posted by: lotp 2010-01-18 09:29 |
| #3 Chile has a problem with keeping its leaders too long. Pinochet tidied up the place, but public fatigue set in, so that more than anything else they were tired of him. So then they elected leftists, and the same thing. Hopefully the new guy will have a term or two, then step down for another conservative with a fresher face. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-01-18 07:17 |
| #2 I guess the people of Chile saw what has happened in Nicaragua, Ecuador, Bolivia and other Latin American countries, and wanted no part of communism. |
| Posted by: Mike Hunt 2010-01-18 00:45 |
| #1 Here's hoping that Americans follow suit and end our century of center / far-left rule soon. |
| Posted by: AzCat 2010-01-18 00:42 |