Surprise Blow to Billionaire Sends Chile Vote to Second Round
- Sebastian Pinera wins smaller-than-expected lead in election
- Pinera has 36.7 percent of vote; Guillier has 22.7 percent
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Billionaire Sebastian Pinera took a smaller-than-expected lead in the first round of voting in Chile’s presidential election Sunday, throwing his victory in next month’s run-off into doubt. His coalition also fell short of a majority in congress.
The opposition leader and former president has 36.6 percent of the vote with 99.9 percent of ballots counted, the electoral service said on its website Monday. Alejandro Guillier of the ruling, center-left coalition, has 22.7 percent and will go to a second round against Pinera on Dec. 17. Beatriz Sanchez, head of the newly created Frente Amplio alliance, beat expectations with 20.3 percent.