Chile: Significant Challenges Await the New Government

Chileans go to the polls Nov. 17 for a presidential election that will likely prove cathartic for a country that experienced significant social unrest during the preceding administration. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet of the center-left Concertacion coalition seems poised to win in either the first round of elections or the second, which is scheduled for Dec. 15.

The election is notable for several reasons. It is the first time voters will choose between two female candidates and also the contest in which voting is no longer mandatory. From a historical perspective, this election signals a pivot point for Chile, which, more than 20 years after the fall of the Pinochet dictatorship, is in the throes of a divisive national debate concerning the role of the government in social welfare.