Economics
Billionaire Candidate Goes on the Attack in Tight Chile Election
- Voters to choose between Pinera and Guillier in second round
- First results of Sunday’s election expected about 7 p.m.
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In the run-up to round one of Chile’s presidential vote last month, the election of billionaire Sebastian Pinera and his pro-growth agenda had almost felt like a foregone conclusion. So certain were investors that they giddily bid Chilean stocks up to a record high.
Now, on the eve of the decisive, second round on Dec. 17, the outcome doesn’t feel certain at all. Round one turned out to be a lot closer than pollsters predicted and Pinera’s team has appeared rattled in the aftermath. They’ve even resorted to a tried-and-true campaign smear across Latin America in recent years: Comparing Pinera’s rival -- Alejandro Guillier of the ruling center-left coalition -- to the socialist leader of the collapsed Venezuelan economy, Nicolas Maduro.