Pinera Takes Smaller-Than-Expected Lead in Chile Election

[Judi Lynn]

By Philip Sanders
November 19, 2017, 4:25 PM CST Updated on November 19, 2017, 4:56 PM CST

Billionaire Sebastian Pinera took a smaller-than-expected lead in the first round of voting in Chile’s presidential election Sunday, according to an early count.

The opposition leader had 36.7 percent of the vote with 43.5 percent of ballots counted, the electoral service said Sunday, short of the majority he needed to avoid a second round. Alejandro Guillier of the ruling coalition has 22.7 percent, while Beatriz Sanchez of the left-wing Frente Amplio alliance had 20.4 percent.

With Pinera obtaining less than 50 percent of the vote, he and the second-placed candidate look set for a run-off on Dec. 17.

The latest opinion poll by the Centro de Estudios Publicos had showed Pinera with 44.4 percent support in the first round, more than double any other candidate.

Pinera is bidding for a second term in office after first serving from 2010 to 2014, when a copper boom pushed economic growth to an average 5.4 percent. In his latest campaign, the opposition leader has pledged to double growth, slash poverty and create thousands of new “quality” jobs. It is a manifesto that has hit home with voters after growth averaged just 1.6 percent under the government of President Michelle Bachelet.

More:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-19/pinera-takes-smaller-than-expected-lead-in-chile-election

[Judi Lynn]

1. Pinera ahead in Chile election vote, leftist surprises

NOVEMBER 19, 2017 / 4:23 PM / UPDATED 29 MINUTES AGO
Reuters Staff

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Conservative Sebastian Pinera took an early lead in Chile’s presidential election on Sunday evening, garnering 37 percent of votes, with nearly 23 percent of ballots counted, Chile’s electoral agency Servel said.

Leftist presidential hopeful Beatriz Sanchez garnered more votes than expected, raising the prospect she could face Pinera in a runoff next month.

Sanchez had 20.40 percent of votes compared to 22.59 percent for center-left Senator Alejandro Guillier, Servel said.

Chileans voted for a successor to President Michelle Bachelet. Former president Pinera was long the favourite to come in first but was not forecast to win the 50 percent of votes needed to avoid a December runoff.

More:
https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-chile-election-count-6pct/pinera-ahead-in-chile-election-vote-leftist-surprises-idUKKBN1DJ0V8?rpc=401&