At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Chile

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Sebastian PIÑERA
• Head of Government: President Sebastian PIÑERA
• Assembly: Chile has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 38 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) with 120 seats.

Description of electoral system:             

• The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 4-year term. Presidents are allowed to serve unlimited non-consecutive terms.

Election Notes:

• The last presidential election occurred on January 17, 2010, when Sebastián PIÑERA was elected to serve a 4-year term with 51.61% of the vote. PIÑERA led the Coalition for Change / Coalición por el Cambio, a coalition of center-right parties. PIÑERA is barred from contesting a second term. The first round of presidential elections will be held on November 17, 2013 alongside elections to the Senate and Chamber of Deputies.                                                                    

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Michelle BACHELET[i]
  • Socialist Party of Chile / Partido Socialista de Chile (PS)
• Evelyn MATTHEI[ii]
  • Independent Democratic Union / Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI)
• Franco PARISI
  • Independent
• Marco ENRÍQUEZ-OMINAMI
  • Progressive Party / Partido Progresista (PRO)
• Marcel CLAUDE
  • Humanist Party / Partido Humanista
• Alfredo SFEIR
  • Green Ecologist Party / Partido Ecologista Verde
• Ricardo ISRAEL
  • Regionalist Party of the Independents / Partido Regionalista de los Independientes (PRI)
• Tomás JOCELYN-HOLT
  • Independent
• Roxana MIRANDA
  • Equality Party / Partido Igualdad

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 17,216,945 (July 2013 est.)
• Registered Voters: 13,388,643 (January 2012)[iii]

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 8,906,407 (2013)

·         Is Chile a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Chile ratified CEDAW: Yes (7 December 1989)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 19 (Chamber of Deputies); 4 (Senate) (following 2013 parliamentary election)

·         Human Development Index Position: 42 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Chile a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Chile ratified CRPD: Yes (29 July 2008)

·         Population with a disability: 2,582,541 (est.)