Chile splits over close presidential runoff
With one week to go, socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet maintains a strong lead over conservative tycoon Sebastian Pinera
From the imposing Atacama Desert in the north to the inspiring iced peaks in the far south of the country – and the world – Chile, the most stable economy of Latin America, prepares for the final battle between the continuity of the 16-year rule of the centre-left Concertacion and a turn to the right. With one week to go, socialist presidential candidate Michelle Bachelet maintains a strong lead over the conservative tycoon Sebastian Pinera, but about 30% of Chilean polled are still undecided ahead of Sunday elections.
According to opinion polls published by the local media after the TV debate aired last week, Mrs. Bachelet is close to become the first female president, as she has 41 percent of the vote, while Pinera has almost 30 percent of the voices. With another 30 percent of undecided Chileans, the runoff is far from being an easy journey for Bachelet but Pinera will have to make big efforts to frustrate the former minister of Defense in the incumbent administration of fellow socialist Ricardo Lagos.
english.pravda.ru
January 13th, 2006 at 8:46 am
meh. she’s still a free trader, hence safe.
January 13th, 2006 at 12:18 pm
well I wouldn’t be so sure. When you’ve got ultra-right Uribe of Colombia palling around with Chavez and announcing to the world that the CIA had a meeting in Colombia to hatch plots to kill Chavez, I’d say all bets are off in South America.