On a morning when the temperature in Santiago reached 31ºC, voters formed long lines this Sunday (21) to choose the next president of Chile and renew much of the Congress.
Despite the extended polling time, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm — an attempt to avoid crowding due to the coronavirus pandemic — there was a wait of up to an hour at several polling stations.
Each vote corresponded to a ballot, which had to be folded several times, tagged, closed and deposited in urns separated by the position in dispute. Thus, some voters had more difficulties in carrying out the procedure than others, causing the process to be slow.
Until 2 pm, no attendance data had yet been released. Jaime Bellolio, spokesman for the government, however, said that “the first reports show that the participation is being very good”.
The candidate leading the polls, the ultra-rightist José Antonio Kast, voted in the commune of Paine, in the metropolitan region of Santiago, and celebrated a “citizen campaign, without as much tension as others”.
The Pinochetista declined to talk about possible support for the second round. “It was a campaign that integrated a lot, in which we were able to go to various parts of Chile, generating expectations and encouragement. Far beyond the result, we are happy with what we achieved, for having generated so much hope.”
Leftist Gabriel Boric, in second place in the polls, voted in Punta Arenas, Patagonia, where he lives. There was a delay because, when he arrived at the polling station, he realized that he had forgotten his voter registration card in the car. “It is a historic moment, hope must overcome fear. I hope that people understand who the protagonists of this story are. There are moments in Chile’s history when certain generations appear in a strong way, and it is a pride to be part of a generation that decided to be the protagonist.”
The centre-right Sebastián Sichel, for his part, sought to take votes away from Kast with an anti-polarization speech. At a school in the Las Condes neighborhood of Santiago, where he voted, the candidate said he saw that “there are people voting as an identity issue, to show that they are more on the right than others”.
“There is a silent majority of Chileans who want to vote against polarization. I invite right-wing voters to vote for a candidacy that has the viability of beating Gabriel Boric.”
On the other side of the ideological spectrum, centre-left Yasna Provoste voted in the Atacama region and gave a broader speech, saying “these elections go beyond a purely presidential election.”
The country’s current leader, Sebastián Piñera, voted early at the Estádio Municipal de Las Condes. Faced with an electoral cycle influenced by the large protests that started in 2019, with many episodes of violence, the Chilean president asked that the commemorations of the results of this first round be peaceful.
“Today we have elections, but we will continue to live in our country, and let us never forget that, despite all the differences, it is much more that unites us than what separates us. Chile needs authorities to help us face it better the problems, challenges and opportunities.”
.
