Chile's Election Results: Conservatives Win Symbolic

UNCLAS SANTIAGO 001234 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV CI SUBJECT: Chile's Election Results: Conservatives Win Symbolic Victories--and Seats--in Congress REF: A. SANTIAGO 432; B. SANTIAGO 933; C. SANTIAGO 448 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: For the first time in 20 years, the Chile's center-right coalition, Alianza, won more seats in Congress than did the governing center-left coalition, Concertacion. Despite this symbolic loss, the overall balance in Congress did not change dramatically. The Concertacion regained its majority in the Senate and may be able to cobble together a plurality in the lower house with smaller parties and independents. Other notable changes included more than doubling the number of women senators, the election of Communist Party candidates for the first time in nearly 40 years, and the defeat of several old-time political heavyweights by younger (but well-connected) challengers. End summary. Political Power Shifts to the Right After Congressional Elections -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Due to its unique and complicated binomial electoral system (explained in Ref A),figuring out which political forces won and lost congressional elections in Chile is not simple. Chilean observers often look at three metrics when assessing the performance of political parties and coalitions in Chile's congressional elections: the total number of seats each coalition has in the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, the total number of ballots cast for conservative vs. progressive congressional candidates, and the number of districts in which a political coalition was able to "double," i.e. win both of the Senate or Chamber seats assigned to a district. By these standards, Chile's conservative coalition, Alianza, gained over the center-left Concertacion coalition that has dominated Chilean politics for the last twenty years. ¶3. The battle for seats in Congress: This was essentially a draw, with each coalition winning an advantage in one of the Chilean parliament's two houses. In the Senate, where half of the 38 seats were up for election, the Concertacion regained a slim majority and will begin the new legislative season with 19 seats vs. 17 for Alianza. (The remaining two seats are filled by independents.) In the Chamber, where all 120 seats were up for election, the Alianza came out on top with 58 candidates elected vs. 54 for the Concertacion. (Of the remaining 8 seats, Communists won 3 seats, Independent Regionalist Party candidates won 3 seats, and independents won 2 seats.) Nonetheless, because the Concertacion has traditionally had a majority in both houses, their middling performance this year is viewed as a decline from their dominance in previous elections. Alianza's new plurality in the Chamber of Deputies is particularly significant, given that the Concertacion has held the majority in the lower house continuously since military rule ended in 1989. Nonetheless, it remains to be seen how voting patterns will develop in the lower house, as most of the independent or smaller party deputies hail from the political left and may vote with the Concertacion most of the time. ¶4. Total number of ballots cast nationwide for Concertacion vs. Alianza candidates for the Chamber of Deputies: Given the unusual biases of the binomial system, this is typically seen as a purer representation of the political leanings of Chilean voters than are the results of the elections. (A similar comparison is typically not done for the Senate race. Because only half of the Senate seats are contested each year, not all Chileans cast a senatorial ballot, whereas every voter votes for a member of the lower house in each congressional election.) This year Concertacion candidates received 44% of all votes cast in Chamber of Deputies races, while Alianza candidates received 43% of all votes. The remaining 13% were divided among independents and smaller political coalitions. This represents a dramatic drop in support for the Concertacion, since in the 2005 congressional election the center-left coalition received 52% of all votes cast vs. 39% for Alianza. ¶5. The "doubling" metric: Chile's most unique metric of political strength is the number of districts where one political coalition was able to "double" or win both Senate or both Chamber seats in a single district--an indication that the coalition is very strong in that region. (As Ref A explains, Chile's binomial election system makes this achievement very difficult, often requiring that a single political coalition receive 2/3 of votes in that district in order to win both seats.) The Concertacion headed into this election with six districts where it had doubled, compared to just one doubled district for the Alianza. However, in a significant upset, the Concertacion lost its double representation in all six of these districts, while the Alianza managed to retain its doubled district, the wealthy eastern suburbs of Santiago. An Unexpected Number of New Faces and Women -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) The biggest surprise in this election was not the overall balance of power in Congress but rather the electorate's enthusiasm for new faces over incumbents. Out of 120 seats, voters elected 45 new parliamentarians to the Chamber of Deputies, many of whom defeated very experienced and well-known politicians. Emblematic politicians who were defeated by younger, less experienced challengers include two-time conservative presidential candidate Joaquin Lavin, Chamber of Deputies President Rodrigo Alvarez, and three-term progressive Senator Jaime Gazmuri. On the other hand, many in Chile have been calling for a political renewal that would expand political participation to include a younger generation and more average citizens as opposed to the political elite. These new parliamentarians are hardly a response to that call: many of them come from well-known political families, and the average age of all members of the new Chamber of Deputies is 50 years old. ¶7. Seven newly elected women, three in the Senate and four in the Chamber, were included in this rush of new faces. The number of women in the Senate went from two to five, while the number of women in the Chamber remained steady at 17. While these numbers are still fairly low--women will make up 13% of all Senators and 14% of all Deputies--it is encouraging that the number of women in the Senate more than doubled and that several younger, less-experienced women were able to enter Congress for the first time. Prior to this election, Chile had the lowest rate of women in Congress of any South American country, an unfortunate distinction it has hopefully lost. A First Since 1973 - Communist Candidates Elected to Congress -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶8. (U) In a historic (though not unexpected) change, the Communist Party will be represented in congress for the first time since 1973. Thanks to a controversial cooperation agreement with the Concertacion (Refs B and C),Communist candidates won three seats in the Chamber of Deputies. While the Communists are pleased to be represented for the first time in more than 25 years, the expected benefits for the Concertacion did not come to fruition. The Concertacion-Communist slates did not manage to "double" in any of the districts where Communist deputies were elected. While the Communists are not officially part of the Concertacion, it is expected that they will most likely vote with that center-left coalition. Comment -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Reading the political tea leaves in Chile is not easy, particularly when one is looking at complicated congressional races which can by analyzed from a number of angles. However, the overall picture is clear: the center-left Concertacion took some symbolically important hits which show that it is not the powerhouse it once was. (A finding confirmed in the presidential race, where conservative candidate Sebastian Pinera had a very strong showing.) On the other hand, Alianza's biggest victories were largely symbolic rather than any substantial change in the balance of power. The two coalitions have roughly equal power in Congress, and so will need to work together and persuade independents to join with them in order to pass legislation. Regardless of whether Eduardo Frei or Sebastian Pinera wins the presidency, Chile's next leader will have to work harder than in the past to ensure congressional support for his legislative agenda, and any laws requiring more than a simple majority will require substantial negotiation. End Comment. SIMONS