Michelle Bachelet, president of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and candidate for the Concertación de Partidos de la Democracia, has far surpassed her rivals at the presidential election this Sunday. However, her 47 percent is not sufficient to give her the necessary majority, so she will have to face a second round on December 15 against second-place Evelyn Matthei, who received 25 percent on this occasion.
The main talking point in this outcome appears to be Bachalet’s apparently-popular push to reform the constitution, expand state provision of entitlements, and raise corporate taxes. This goes against her first term and recent decades for Chile, which have seen the nation rise to a prominent position and comfortably lead Latin America in terms of business friendliness and economic freedom.
Sources: BBC, New York Times, Al Jazeera.