1989 Chilean general election

none Chile 14 December 1989 yes Presidential election presidential 1970 (election)← 1988 (plebiscite) 1993 Chilean general election 1993 94.72% ( 11.25pp) 130x130px Patricio Aylwin (1990) - 2.jpg Patricio Aylwin Christian Democratic Party (Chile) Concertación FFA500 3,850,571 55.17% Hernán Büchi 1983.jpg Hernán Büchi Independent politician DP 4682B4 2,052,116 29.40% Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera (Recorte).jpg Francisco Javier Errázuriz Independent politician Liberal–Socialist b22222 1,077,172 15.43% 1989 Chilean presidential election by commune percentage.svg Results by commune President Augusto Pinochet Independent politician Patricio Aylwin Christian Democratic Party (Chile) yes 1973 Chamber of Deputies 1993 All 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies 61 94.73% ( 12.98pp) yes yes Concertación 69 51.49 Democracy and Progress #4682B4 48 34.18 Unity for Democracy #ff0000 2 5.31 Independents 1 1.88 yes 1973 Senate 1993 38 of the 47 seats in the Senate 94.73% yes yes Concertación 22 54.63 Democracy and Progress #4682B4 16 34.85thumb|right|Presidential election ballot paper General elections were held in Chile on 14 December 1989,Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p262 978-0-19-928358-3 bringing an end to the military regime that had been in place since 1973. Patricio Aylwin of Concertación alliance was elected President, whilst the alliance also won a majority of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the elected Senate seats. From the 1989 elections onwards the military had officially left the political future of the country to civilians to be elected. Pinochet did not endorse any candidate publicly. Former dictatorship minister Hernán Büchi ran for president as candidate of the two right-wing parties, RN and UDI. He had little political experience and was a relatively young (40 years) technocrat credited for Chile's good economic performance in the later half of the 1980s. The right parties faced several problems in the elections: there was considerable infighting between RN and UDI, Büchi had only very reluctantly accepted to run for president and right-wing politicians struggled to define their position towards the Pinochet regime. In addition to this right-wing populist Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera ran independently for president and made several election promises Büchi could not match.Angell Alan Pollack Benny 1990 The Chilean Elections of 1989 Bulletin of Latin American Research Society for Latin American Studies 9 1 1–23 Definition of candidacies Concertación Candidate Aylwin prevailed in a political negotiation within the so-called Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia, which at that time was made up of 17 political movements opposed to the military dictatorship. However, the process was not simple. The situation of each party was as follows: Patricio Aylwin had to prevail within the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) itself against two other contenders: Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle and Gabriel Valdés Subercaseaux. It was a controversial process, saturated with accusations, including an episode involving the theft of internal voting records known as "Carmengate" (named as such for the then-address of the headquarters of the PDC, Carmen 8, in Downtown Santiago). During this process, Andrés Zaldívar was even proposed as a consensus candidate. Aylwin ultimately secured the support of his party and was proclaimed on February 5.Cronología 1989 http://www.siglo20.cl/1980-89/1989/crono.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20050215193601/http://www.siglo20.cl/1980-89/1989/crono.htm 2005-02-15 2026-02-14 www.siglo20.cl The Radical Party put forward its leader Enrique Silva Cimma, who withdrew his candidacy on June 10 to support Patricio Aylwin.«La Concertación y el Consenso tras Aylwin» (PDF). El Mercurio. July 23, 1989. Retrieved July 17, 2023. The Social Democracy Party put forward the candidacy of the lawyer Eugenio Velasco, who later withdrew his bid and on July 3 announced his support for Aylwin. The renewed sector of the Socialist Party (PS-Núñez) and the Party for Democracy put forward the figure of Ricardo Lagos, known for having confronted General Pinochet through television cameras. Both parties officially announced their support for Aylwin’s candidacy on June 23. The Humanist Party presented, in a testimonial manner, the candidacy of Laura Rodríguez, who at the time was below the required age to be a candidate. Subsequently, together with The Greens, it put forward José Tomás Sáenz as its candidate.Partidos Humanista y Los Verdes - Declaración conjunta http://archivospublicos.cl/uploads/r/archivo-institucional-universidad-alberto-hurtado/2/6/5/265e4a8f70bc74b517a25d15d2d9519f0ab59091c7a183f0097ba22a0d803b36/75-6-10.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20170221005651/http://archivospublicos.cl/uploads/r/archivo-institucional-universidad-alberto-hurtado/2/6/5/265e4a8f70bc74b517a25d15d2d9519f0ab59091c7a183f0097ba22a0d803b36/75-6-10.pdf 2017-02-21 2026-02-14 archivospublicos.cl The Socialist Party–Almeyda proclaimed Aylwin as its candidate on June 23. The candidacy of the independent Alejandro Hales also emerged, president of the Independents for the No movement, supported by the Almeyda faction of the Socialist Party.Délano Manuel 1989-02-04 Patricio Aylwin, candidato favorito de la DC chilena a la presidencia https://elpais.com/diario/1989/02/04/internacional/602550011_850215.html 2026-02-14 El País es 1134-6582 The national organization, ideological moderation, and relative weight within the coalition ultimately led the Christian Democratic Party to determine the presidential candidacy. In this decision, the media prominence of Patricio Aylwin—when he previously obtained the nomination as spokesperson or “primus inter pares” among the leaders of the Concertación for the 1988 plebiscite—was influential, allowing him to secure the coalition’s backing over alternatives from the moderate left such as Ricardo Lagos, Alejandro Hales, and Enrique Silva Cimma, which were reconsidered toward the end of the process. Aylwin’s nomination as the Concertación’s candidate took place on July 6—having already been proclaimed as their candidate by the Party of the Center Alliance on June 28 and by the Democratic Socialist Radical Party on July 2, as well as by the Christian Left on July 4—,Aylwin: también el PAC https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-82016.html 2026-02-14 Memoria Chilena: Portal esPatricio Aylwin, nominado candidato del Partido Radical Socialista Democrático http://www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl/bitstream/handle/123456789/8105/APA-3028.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20190807002414/http://www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl/bitstream/handle/123456789/8105/APA-3028.pdf 2019-08-07 2026-02-14 www.archivopatricioaylwin.clwhile his formal proclamation was held on July 16, 1989, at the Teatro Caupolicán, a symbol of democratic resistance during the military dictatorship, under the slogan “The people win.”On August 2, the Broad Party of Socialist Left (PAIS) proclaimed Aylwin as its candidate.PAIS proclama a Aylwin https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-124112.html 2026-02-14 Memoria Chilena: Portal es Democracy and Progress Supporters of Augusto Pinochet’s military dictatorship also underwent a lengthy process of deliberation to designate their candidate. The figure of Hernán Büchi—Minister of Finance and ideologue of the neoliberal reforms reintroduced in Chile after the 1982 crisis—generated sympathy due to his youthful image and his close association with the country’s supposedly successful economic recovery. However, Büchi systematically refused to accept the option of being a candidate and declined to do so in a speech delivered on May 15, 1989, which went down in Chilean political history, as he acknowledged that between his personality and the responsibility being imposed on him there existed a “vital contradiction,” thus renouncing his pre-candidacy. In that context, on August 6 National Renewal designated former Interior Minister Sergio Onofre Jarpa as its nominee through an internal vote in which he obtained 272 votes in favor, 3 against, and one blank;Jarpa: 272 votos a favor y sólo tres en contra http://www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl/bitstream/handle/123456789/8158/APA-3523.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20190807002017/http://www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl/bitstream/handle/123456789/8158/APA-3523.pdf 2019-08-07 2026-02-14 www.archivopatricioaylwin.clthe Radical Democracy did the same with former senator Julio Durán Neumann, while the UDI proclaimed Hernán Büchi despite his refusal. Büchi finally accepted being a candidate on July 11,and in a political negotiation, the Democracy and Progress pact and the Radical Democracy party 2013-07-18 La otra "bajada" que sacudió a la derecha: La contradicción de Büchi https://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/2013/07/17/609647/la-otra-bajada-que-sacudio-a-la-derecha-la-contradiccion-vital-de-buchi.html 2026-02-14 Emol Spanishnamed him as their nominee under the slogan “Büchi is the man.” On August 10, he received the formal backing of National Renewal, which withdrew the support it had given to Sergio Onofre Jarpa only four days earlier.Büchi será el candidato único de centroderecha http://www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl/bitstream/handle/123456789/8161/APA-3537.pdf https://web.archive.org/web/20190807002016/http://www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl/bitstream/handle/123456789/8161/APA-3537.pdf 2019-08-07 2026-02-14 www.archivopatricioaylwin.cl His campaign “generalissimo” was former Pinochet minister and businessman Pablo Baraona, who assumed that role for economic coordination and as a member of the coalition’s main party, National Renewal. In its initial stage, the position was held by Sebastián Piñera, also a member of National Renewal, who did not assume that role in the final candidacy.Arturo Arriagada (October 2006). «Jefes de campaña en elecciones presidenciales en Chile, 1970-2005». Retrieved August 14, 2015. Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera However, the right did not expect a third option to emerge. Businessman Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera carried forward his presidential candidacy outside the political parties. Declaring himself independent, he stated that he had “voted Yes with his heart in the No” in the 1988 plebiscite, and he sought a platform close to the political center to capture votes. He was supported by the Liberal Party, the Chilean Socialist Party (an instrumental party that supported the Yes, and unrelated to the current Socialist Party), and the National Advance party, as well as the National Party and the Party of the South, all parties with local leadership and limited media reach. The campaign slogan was: “Errázuriz, the opportunity for a dignified Chile,” and his campaign generalissimo was Carlos Concha. Failed candidacies The independent candidacy of the physician and philanthropist Fernando Monckeberg Barros was rejected on August 24, 1989, after his registration with the Electoral Service, for exceeding, in his lists of sponsoring voters, the percentage permitted by law of sponsors registered in political parties.Hojman, Eugenio (1990). «Memorial del Gobierno Militar (1973-1989)». Análisis (Santiago de Chile: Emisión). p. 300. In some media outlets, the Independent National Unity candidacy of television host Mario Kreutzberger, “Don Francisco,” associated with the philanthropic work of the Teletón, was proposed. The presenter flatly rejected the possibility.2020-04-03 ¿Quién es Don Francisco políticamente? https://interferencia.cl/articulos/quien-es-don-francisco-politicamente 2026-02-15 Interferencia es The leader of the Party of Pensioners, Juan Antonio Torres Araya, was sounded out as a presidential candidate; however, he did not achieve the party’s legalization nor gather the necessary signatures to present his candidacy.Al ritmo de la banda tricolor https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-124110.html 2026-02-15 Memoria Chilena: Portal es Debate The only presidential debate took place in the main studios of Channel 13 on October 9, 1989. It was moderated by Hernán Precht and featured journalists Rosario Guzmán Errázuriz, Bernardo de la Maza, Raquel Correa, and Claudio Sánchez Venegas, whose role was to ask questions to the candidates Hernán Büchi and Patricio Aylwin. The debate, which was the first to be televised in the history of Chile and Latin America, did not include the participation of candidate Francisco Javier Errázuriz, since, as Claudio Sánchez would later explain, “we could hold a debate with four candidates, but with three it was more complicated” (alluding to the rejected candidacy of Fernando Monckeberg). According to Sánchez, Errázuriz’s absence from the debate was offset by dedicating an additional episode of the program Decisión 89 to the businessman’s candidacy.Bazán Ignacio 2017-09-23 Historia oculta del primer debate presidencial https://www.latercera.com/noticia/historia-oculta-del-primer-debate-presidencial/ 2026-02-15 La Tercera es Polling EncuestaFechaAylwinBüchiErrázurizBlank/InvalidCERCUna sola patita https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-81515.html 2026-02-15 Memoria Chilena: Portal esJuly 198953,8 %28,3 %9 %Carta ConfidencialEncuesta Presidencial. Quincenario Carta Confidencial. September 8, 1989.September 8–9, 198943,8 %35,2 %13,2 %CEP/AdimarkAl tenor de las encuestas https://www.memoriachilena.gob.cl/602/w3-article-82017.html 2026-02-15 Memoria Chilena: Portal esOctober 20, 198947,4 %30,2 %11,4 %3,5 %GeminesOctober 23, 198958,3 %28,7 %8,4 %FLACSOOctober 25, 198952,5 %28,7 %8,7 %CERCNovember 198956,4 %27,5 %14,1 %2 %Comando H. BüchiNovember 17, 198934,5 %39,3 %9,1 %GeminesNovember 17 / November 24, 198956 %28,7 %12,6 %CISNovember 18, 198956,8 %22,8 %8,6 %CERCNovember 24, 198956 %31,2 %9,8 %SevacDecember 8, 198940,6 %30,1 %12,7 %InvestmerkDecember 8, 198942,6 %33,2 %12,1 %Consultores AsociadosDecember 9, 198950,8 %34,4 %10,7 %GallupDecember 11, 198950,9 %28,5 %20,6 %GeminesDecember 11, 198955,9 %29,1 %12,4 %InvestigacionesDecember 11, 198944 %31 %19 %BestlandDecember 12, 198942,9 %25,6 %9,8 %CERCDecember 12, 198957 %25 %16 % Results President Patricio Aylwin Concertación (PDC) 3850571 Hernán Büchi Democracy and Progress (Ind.) 2052116 Francisco Javier Errázuriz Independent 1077172 178868 7557537 SERVEL Concertación Alliance (Chile) #b22222 By region RegionAylwin%Büchi%Errázuriz%ITarapacá82,38749.6652,29331.5231,22418.82IIAntofagasta120,67957.6352,02324.8436,71017.53IIIAtacama67,80360.6733,85630.3010,0949.03IVCoquimbo141,31857.1875,79530.6730,02012.15VValparaíso398,09652.61219,15228.96139,50518.43VIO'Higgins215,94558.65109,15529.6543,07211.70VIIMaule251,80957.04125,69528.4763,94414.49VIIIBiobío505,43956.29223,67724.91168,79218.80IXAraucanía186,20047.16112,96428.6195,65424.23XLos Lagos242,07151.08137,36028.9994,46619.93XIAysén20,39054.7211,55631.015,31914.27XIIMagallanes48,91060.3723,94129.558,16210.07RMSantiago Metropolitan1,569,52456.17874,64931.30350,21012.53 Total: 6,979,8593,850,57155.172,052,11629.401,077,17215.43 Senate File:Chile Senado 1989.svg Concertación 6 Christian Democratic Party 2188329 13 Party for Democracy 820393 4 Radical Party of Chile 147364 2 Humanist Party 35534 0 Independents 523369 3 3714989 22 Democracy and Progress 4 National Renewal 731678 5 Independent Democratic Union 347445 2 Independents 1290886 9 2370009 16 Liberal–Socialist 4 Liberal Party 10129 0 Chilean Socialist Party 4254 0 Independents 199618 0 214001 0 Alliance of the Centre 4 Radical Democracy 28695 0 black National Advance 697 0 Independents 62015 0 91407 0 Broad Party of Socialist Left 288397 0 Party of the South 45584 0 National Party 43741 0 Independents 32282 0 Appointed senators 9 358032 7556613 Nohlen By region RegionConstituencyConcertaciónDemocracy and ProgressParty of the SouthAlliance of the CentreLiberal–SocialistNationalUnity for DemocracyIndependentITarapacáITarapacá47.13%30.64%0.00%0.00%3.85%0.00%0.00%18.37%IIAntofagastaIIAntofagasta41.38%34.81%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%23.81%0.00%IIIAtacamaIIIAtacama61.82%33.36%0.00%0.00%2.45%0.00%0.00%2.37%IVCoquimboIVCoquimbo36.85%35.82%0.00%5.63%0.00%0.00%21.70%0.00%VValparaísoVValparaíso Cordillera48.77%35.20%0.00%0.00%7.49%0.00%8.55%0.00%VIValparaíso CostaRMSantiago MetropolitanVIIMetropolitana Poniente59.90%35.03%0.00%0.00%4.24%0.83%0.00%0.00%VIIIMetropolitana OrienteVIO'HigginsIXO'Higgins59.22%27.54%0.00%11.22%2.02%0.00%0.00%0.00%VIIMauleXMaule Norte59.61%34.23%0.00%0.00%6.17%0.00%0.00%0.00%XIMaule SurVIIIBiobíoXIIBiobío Costa46.90%34.76%0.00%4.01%0.00%0.00%14.33%0.00%XIIIBiobío CordilleraIXAraucaníaXIVAraucanía Norte49.95%32.77%11.84%0.00%0.00%5.44%0.00%0.00%XVAraucanía SurXLos LagosXVILos Lagos Norte57.04%42.96%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%XVIILos Lagos SurXIAysénXVIIIAysén55.99%40.78%0.00%1.91%1.31%0.00%0.00%0.00%XIIMagallanesXIXMagallanes66.23%31.11%0.00%2.66%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%Source: Servel Electoral Chamber of Deputies File:Chile Camara de Diputados (colores actualizados) 1989.svg Concertación 7 Christian Democratic Party 1766347 38 Party for Democracy 778501 16 Radical Party of Chile 268103 5 Humanist Party 52225 1 The Greens 14942 0 Independents 619595 9 3499713 69 Democracy and Progress 4 National Renewal  1242432 29 Independent Democratic Union 667369 11 Independents 413780 8 2323581 48 Unity for Democracy 4 Broad Party of Socialist Left 297897 2 Democratic Socialist Radical Party 1330 0 Independents 61374 0 360601 2 Liberal–Socialist 4 Liberal Party 47237 0 Chilean Socialist Party 10398 0 Independents 148503 0 206138 0 Alliance of the Centre 4 National Advance 57574 0 black Radical Democracy 28575 0 Independents 91793 0 177942 0 National Party 53819 0 Party of the South 47387 0 Independents 127941 1 361524 7556613 SERVEL By region RegionDistrictConcertaciónDemocracy and ProgressParty of the SouthAlliance of the CentreLiberal–SocialistNationalUnity for DemocracyIndependentITarapacá1Arica47.70%37.16%0.00%1.84%4.68%0.00%7.52%1.10%2IquiqueIIAntofagasta3Calama59.78%30.32%0.00%1.62%4.58%0.00%0.00%3.70%4AntofagastaIIIAtacama5Copiapó44.50%32.02%0.00%2.09%2.76%0.00%16.88%1.76%6VallenarIVCoquimbo7La Serena57.73%33.71%0.00%4.68%0.00%0.00%0.00%3.88%8Coquimbo9IllapelVValparaíso10Quillota49.69%35.35%0.00%3.60%4.16%0.00%6.27%0.94%11Los Andes12Quilpué13Valparaíso14Viña del Mar15San AntonioRMSantiago Metropolitan16Pudahuel52.70%34.53%0.00%1.69%5.36%0.49%4.40%0.84%17Conchalí18Cerro Navia19Independencia20Maipú21Providencia22Santiago23Las Condes24La Reina25La Granja26La Florida27La Cisterna28San Miguel29Puente Alto30San Bernardo31MelipillaVIO'Higgins32Rancagua47.34%33.10%0.00%3.21%2.50%0.00%13.15%0.71%33Rengo34San Fernando35Santa CruzVIIMaule36Curicó58.70%32.47%0.00%2.13%0.00%1.76%0.00%4.94%37Talca38Constitución39Linares40CauquenesVIIIBiobío41Chillán47.08%33.61%0.00%5.51%0.00%0.00%8.83%4.97%42Quillón43Talcahuano44Concepción45Coronel46Lota47Los ÁngelesIXAraucanía48Angol45.51%32.95%9.27%1.61%0.00%4.72%4.50%1.43%49Lautaro50Temuco51Nueva Imperial52VillarricaXLos Lagos53Valdivia51.88%36.87%2.59%0.17%0.00%3.16%4.23%1.10%54La Unión55Osorno56Puerto Varas57Puerto Montt58CastroXIAysén59Coyhaique45.79%39.75%0.74%1.54%0.78%1.84%9.57%0.00%XIIMagallanes60Punta Arenas65.03%31.58%0.00%3.39%0.00%0.00%0.00%0.00%Source: Servel Electoral References Category:Parliamentary elections in Chile Chile General Category:Presidential elections in Chile Chile