General Information
At stake in this election:
- 18 seats in the Senate (Senado)
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar *
- Head of Government: President Ricardo LAGOS Escobar
- Assembly: Chile has a bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 48 seats and the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) with 120 seats.
* The president is both the chief of state and head of government.
Description of electoral system:
- The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 6-year term.
- In the Senate (Senado), 38 members are elected by popular vote to serve 8-year terms and 10 members are designated *. In the Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados) 120 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.
* One-half of the members in the Senate are elected every four years.
Main parties in the electoral race:
- Coalition: Concert of Parties for Democracy / Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia
- Seats won in this Senate election: 9
- Seats won in last Senate election: 11
- Coalition: Alliance for Chile / Alianza por Chile*
- Seats won in this Senate election: 9
- Seats won in last Senate election: 9
*Previously known as Union for Chile.
Population and voter registration:
- Population: 15,358,418 (2001)
- Registered Voters: 8,075,446 (2001)
Gender Data:
· Female Population: 7,782,689 (2001)
· 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: Yes
· Number of Female Parliamentarians: 15 (Chamber of Deputies); 2 (Senate) (following 2001 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: 2,303,762 (est.)