Billionaire Pinera wins Chile presidential election

[demoleft]

Source: bbc

Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera has won Chile's presidential run-off, ending two decades of centre-left rule.

Social Democrat Eduardo Frei conceded defeat after results from 60% of polling stations showed Mr Pinera with 52% of the vote to Mr Frei's 48%.

Mr Pinera promised a tough law-and-order programme and vowed to use his business know-how to boost the economy.

Outgoing President Michelle Bachelet was barred by law from standing again.

Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8464136.stm

[Cassandra]

1. There goes Chile again.

Shall we place bets on how fast it turns to crap?

[demoleft]

2. no bet. but he's the people's choice. i hope opposition will be strong and attentive. n/t

[Cleita]

3. He is elected and not installed in a coup like Pinochet.

They will throw his ass out in the next election providing there isn't any outside interference, like from us.

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[demoleft]

6. and it's good, infact. people's choice, as i said. n/t

[Betty Karlson]

8. Nope. Chilean presidents are constitutionally barred

from second terms. You get one term. After that - off you go!

[arcos]

12. Not true, they can run again, just not for a consecutive term in office...

Eduardo Frei, former President, was the center-left candidate who lost against Piñera.

[Betty Karlson]

13. You are correct.

Thanks for the correction.

[David__77]

5. There is a bright side.

The left, with the possible exception of the communists, has been very passive in the name of "reconciliation." Now that the right is in charge, perhaps the original fighting spirit of the socialists will return. It is hard to believe that under Allende, the socialists were to the left of the communists.

[demoleft]

7. right. time to ponder and re-organize, while fighting as opposition. n/t

[Betty Karlson]

9. I doubt it.

The socialists are in a center-left parties' bloc. Other parties include the Christian-Democrats, and some liberal ones. Revving up the socialist credentials would endanger the continuation of the center-left bloc. Which is something very few socialists would dare to try.

[David__77]

17. The coalition may split in any case.

The Christian Democrats may bolt to ally with the right, which is perhaps their natural home. Another Frei, we may recall, was quite the cheerleader for the fascist coup.

The Communists finally have representation again in congress now. If the socialists did not burnish their progressive credentials, then the people's movements will bypass them and leave them without a base.

[Betty Karlson]

19. Christian Democrats don't belong either at the right

or at the left.

Dutch Prime-minister Dries van Agt once said: "we shall flinch neither to the right nor at the left. We are a political centre party."

Please be advised that the concept of bipolar politics is Anglosaxon - and almost exclusively so. The rest of the democracies in the world have more political variations than just left and right.

[RedCloud]

10. Lest we forget: Víctor Jara

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3A8EysX4gI&feature=related

[arcos]

11. I posted this earlier, but unexplicably, it was moved to the Latin America forum...

I guess petty Latin American affairs, like elections in one of the biggest countries in the region, are in NO WAY latest breaking news for DU anymore?

:shrug:

[demoleft]

14. it happens. good then - the news is worth being in both sides. n/t

[arcos]

16. No, it is NOT good... if you hadn't posted it again, it wouldn't be here at all...

Apparently, Latin America is not worthy enough for it to be in LBN.

[Enrique]

15. unless it's about Hugo Chavez

The internal affairs of Venezuela are discussed as if it was our own country. I guess Venezuela is considered a U.S. protectorate? :shrug:

[AlphaCentauri]

18. Chileans will waste their time trying to re implement the 70's economic models