Chile still shaking, Pinera inaugurated

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A terrifyingly large magnitude 8.8 earthquake has shaken Chile. The epicenter appears to have been between Concepcion and Santiago. Buildings, bridges and roads have been destroyed. The live stream above comes courtesy of Television Nacional de Chile.

Both this earthquake and that of Haiti seem to have struck at particular times of promise for their respective countries. In the case of Chile, I am reminded of an interview I recently read with the president-elect of Chile, Sebastian Pinera. In the interview with Andres Oppenheimer he says:

"the big goal we have set for ourselves is that within eight years, by 2018, Chile becomes perhaps the first country in Latin America that with great pride, but also with humbleness, will be able to say, `We have defeated underdevelopment. We have defeated poverty.' Chile today has a per capita income of about $14,400 [a year], and we hope to reach to $24,000 by 2018..."

These priorities will no doubt now have to be reappraised. However, Chile is most certainly not Haiti. The response from the Bachelet government and chilenos thus far appears to have been proactive. Time will tell if this earthquake dramatically changes the national psyche.

In Chile, It's Pinera

Frei and Pinera appear together with their families. The concession essentially took place right here. Talk about putting on a brave face.

No, they are not announcing a unity government nor were these two on the same slate. A strange but amazing tradition considering Chile's recent anti-democratic history.

Transparency at every turn. With the cameras on, Presidenta Bachelet wishes Eduardo Frei well and resists calling him a huevon for blowing the election, even though she has record approval ratings.

Pinera is on his way to el Palacio de la Moneda with a 3%+ advantage. The first democratically elected rightest government in 50 years.

Chile Votes: Out with the old in with the...?

The sleepy run-off between two sexagenarians has failed to elicit much interest. There are fewer signs in the street and polite applause at campaign events. The center left candidate, Eduardo Frei, was an unpopular former president and the conservative Sebastian Pinera's incredible wealth and ties to the Pinochet regime leave him with little in common with the Chilean people. If Pinera wins, it will be the first time that the Socialist/center-left coalition has lost in the post-Pinochet era. 

The race has predictably tightened since the run-off that featured the elimination of two leftist candidates, notably Marco Enriquez Ominami, who was more bust than Barack. Still, voter registration is extremely low in Chile due to punitive fines that are assessed on those registered who do not vote. Only 9.2% of Chileans between the ages of 18-29 are registered. Polls close unusually early, starting at 2:30pm, so results should be available soon.

Check La Nacion, El Mercurio and  TV Nacional for voting updates.

South America Election Round-Up

It's a busy couple of weeks in South America for politicians running for office. Plenty of hands to shake and speeches to give from sub-par sound systems. Here's a quick look at what's been happening across the continent:

Uruguay voted on November 29 to elect Jose Mujica, a former guerrilla leader who was shot at, tortured and imprisoned for 14 years, including two spent at the bottom of a well, while opposing a vicious string of military backed dictatorships in the 70's and 80's. A once strident leftist, he now professes a strong bent towards pragmatism, provided by his 74 years. I'm struck by his age and regret that a generation of progressive leaders throughout Latin America were silenced, killed or generally barred from participating in the "official" power structure of their country for so long by repressive and weak men.

Bolivians reelected Evo Morales by a wide margin on December 6. Morales did surprisingly well in the hotter, lower and more affluent regions of Santa Cruz which have been hostile to his efforts to redraw the constitution and nationalize the petroleum and resource extraction industries in the area. His base of support though still rests in the western, more indigenous departments of La Paz, Oruo, and Cochabamba. We will soon see if and how Morales intends to use this victory to remove term limits and continue to run for president as Chavez, Correa, and Uribe have been doing.

Chile votes on Sunday the 13th. The field of candidates is still crowded and many vote-seekers are presumably siphoning votes away from others. It awaits to be seen if Marco Enriquez Ominami, who is running an insurgent campaign that hits many of the themes Obama campaigned on, can steal a spot in the run-off from former president, Eduardo Frei, though time is running out. It appears certain that the conservative candidate, Sebastian Pinera, will finish first in the this round. 

The nation's battle with its violent legacy emerged into the last minute campaigning this weekend as a judge charged three individuals with the murder of former president, Eduardo Frei Montalva, who is also the father of the candidate Frei. More on Chile in the days to come.

Checking in on Chile's Presidential Campaign

It appears that the Concertacion coalition is in danger of losing its hold on the presidency for the first time since Pinochet ceded power in 1990. Inter-party struggles and a dearth of fresh and exciting candidates led the coalition to throw up Eduardo Frei, Chile's president from 1994-2000, as their candidate. Not as popular, progressive, or interesting as Michelle Bachelet, Frei belongs to the old-guard of the party and has not engendered passion among voters nor does he share progressive policy positions of importance to many Chilenos, such as the legalization of abortion.

Marco Enriquez-Ominami, the independent candidate who broke away from Concertacion, has gained the allegiance of the country's left but has failed to make inroads with many voters who may fault his youth, inexperience, or lack of Concertacion imprimatur. He is still polling in the mid-teens. The front-runner remains the center-right candidate Sebastian Pinera whose lead remains around 5% points over Frei. It may get quite uncomfortable for Ominami to stay in the race if the perception solidifies that he is siphoning votes away from Frei. The election is three months away. Below I have provided links to the websites for all three candidates, I give Frei the highest marks for his hip Euro/Socialist/candid photos of everyday Chilenos design:

1. Sebastian Pinera
2. Eduardo Frei
3. Marco Enriquez Ominami