Concertación presidential primary, 1999
May 30, 1999
Registered7 613 915
Turnout18%
 
Candidate Ricardo Lagos Andrés Zaldívar
Party For Democracy PDC
Popular vote 985.505 398.821
Percentage 71.19% 28.81%
Previous Presidential Candidate

Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
PDC

 Presidential Candidate

Ricardo Lagos
For Democracy

The presidential primaries of the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia of 1999 were the electoral system to define the presidential candidate of such Chilean coalition for the 1999 presidential election. It was an innovation of the conglomerate when nominating for the first time its candidate through a primary direct and binding election, unlike the primary of 1993.

It was contested between Ricardo Lagos, candidate for the Socialist Party of Chile (PS), the Party for Democracy (PPD), the Radical Social Democratic Party (PRSD) and the Liberal Party (PL), and Andrés Zaldívar, candidate for the Christian Democratic Party (PDC).[1]

Campaign and election

Zaldívar and others during campaign.

The presidential campaign of 1999 was marked by the economic crisis that affected the country. The government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle was badly beaten with unemployment rates close to 11% and negative growth. Due to the existence of several presidential candidates within the different political parties of the Concertación, the single presidential candidate to be presented on 12 December should have been elected by means of the primary elections.[2]

In this scenario, the main governing party - the Christian Democrats - sought their third consecutive term, shuffling the names of Gabriel Valdés Subercaseaux, Alejandro Foxley, Enrique Krauss and Andrés Zaldívar. Finally the DC raised as pre-candidate to Senator Zaldívar.[1]

As in the 1993 primaries, Ricardo Lagos Escobar presented himself as the candidate of the left wing of the Concertación. Lagos resigned as Minister of Public Works on July 31, 1998 to focus on his presidential campaign. He began to build his campaign from the Fundación Chile XXI study center, where much of his work team was gathered.

Thus, in November 1998, the Concertación opted to hold open and binding primary elections to select its flag-bearer for the presidential elections between Lagos and Zaldívar. A National Primaries Organizing Committee was formed, made up of 10 leaders of the parties Concertación, which established 16 731 polling stations in 870 premises reprinted by all the municipalities of the country.[1]

The election was held on Sunday, May 30, 1999, a day that was not without problems, as a power cut affected much of the country, giving rise to rumors of attack that were discarded. Finally, with more than one million two hundred thousand voters, Ricardo Lagos defeated Andrés Zaldívar with 71% of the votes, consecrating himself as the only candidate of the Concertación.[3]

Results

Candidate Party Endorsement Votes %
Ricardo Lagos Escobar PPD-PS-PRSD-PL 985 505 71,19%
Andrés Zaldívar Larraín 398 821 28,81
Total [4] 1 384 326 100 %

By region

Region Lagos Zaldívar Total[4]
Votes % Votes %
Tarapacá 25 307 78,02 % 7131 21,98 % 32 438
Antofagasta 31 064 78,96 % 8276 21,04 % 39 340
Atacama 21 174 78,85 % 5678 21,15 % 26 852
Coquimbo 43 825 75,27 % 14 398 24,73 % 58 223
Valparaíso 97 057 70,49 % 40 623 29,51 % 137 680
Metropolitana 413 665 73,07 % 152 485 26,93 % 566 150
O'Higgins 51 043 64,79 % 27 739 35,21 % 78 782
Maule 62 533 67,36 % 30 300 32,64 % 92 833
Biobío 125 839 71,36 % 50 512 28,64 % 176 351
Araucanía 37 175 59,46 % 25 343 40,54 % 62 518
Los Lagos 56 749 66,15 % 29 034 33,85 % 85 783
Aysén 6088 62,39 % 3670 37,61 % 9758
Magallanes 13 986 79,38 % 3632 20,62 % 17 618

References

  1. 1 2 3 Navia, Patricio; Rojas Morales, Priscila (2008). "El efecto de la participación electoral en las primarias sobre la elección presidencial en Chile en 1999". Postdata. pp. 193–222.
  2. ↑ "Los números que hacen innecesaria una primaria". electoral.cl. 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-12-27.
  3. ↑ Relea, Francesc (1999). "Lagos, candidato de la Concertación a la presidencia de Chile". El País.
  4. 1 2 "Las Primarias descentralizadas: una oportunidad para reconstruir la Concertación desde abajo" (PDF). electoral.cl. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-02-19. Retrieved 2017-03-18.
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