The Rise of Alternative Presidential Candidates in Chile, 2009-2017
This article explores the growing popularity of alternative presidential candidates — those from outside the two dominant coalitions — in Chile from 2009 to 2017. Following a theoretical discussion that focuses on the causes of voter discontent with the political establishment, we formulate four hyp...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca
2020-11-01
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| Series: | Revista Latinoamericana de Opinión Pública |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://revistas.usal.es/index.php/1852-9003/article/view/23628 |
| Summary: | This article explores the growing popularity of alternative presidential candidates — those from outside the two dominant coalitions — in Chile from 2009 to 2017. Following a theoretical discussion that focuses on the causes of voter discontent with the political establishment, we formulate four hypotheses. We view support for alternative presidential candidates as a function of ideological detachment, declining political engagement, the economic vote, and socio-demographic shifts in the electorate. We use three pre-electoral Centro de Estudios Públicos surveys to present probit models and predicted probabilities. Our findings suggest that a distinct segment of Chilean voters is behind the rise of alternative presidential candidates. Younger and more educated voters who identify less with the traditional left-right ideological scale and political parties and suffer from economic anxiety—viewing the economy as performing well nationally while remaining pessimistic about their financial prospects—comprise this subgroup. |
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| ISSN: | 1852-9003 2660-700X |