Chilean presidential election, 1952
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Politics of Chile |
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A presidential election was held in Chile on September 4 1952. It was the first presidential election to include women, after gaining the right in 1949. The election was won by Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, who obtained 46.8% of the vote, after confirmation by Congress.
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Candidates
Pedro Enrique Alfonso
Alfonso was the candidate of the Radical Party, and was also supported by the Social Democratic political spectrum. His government would have become the fourth consecutive Radical administration, since Pedro Aguirre Cerda was elected President.
Salvador Allende
Allende, a senator, was the candidate of the Socialist Party, and was running for President for the first time. He had the support of the banned Communist Party.
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Former President Ibáñez was an independent senator for Santiago, and was attempting to reach the Presidency, once again, by popular vote. He had the support of minor parties, like the Popular Socialist Party and the Laborist-Agrarian Party, among others.
Arturo Matte
Matte was a liberal senator supported by the Liberal and Conservative parties. He was Finance Minister under the administration of Juan Antonio Ríos.
Results
Ibáñez's victory was overwhelming. He was helped by the undergoing structural crisis and the loss of prestige of politicians because of corruption and inefficiency.
| Candidate | Party/Coalition | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Ibáñez del Campo | populist | 446,439 | 46.8% |
| Arturo Matte Larraín | right-wing | 265,357 | 27.8% |
| Pedro Enrique Alfonso | Radical | 190,360 | 20.0% |
| Salvador Allende Gossens | Socialist | 51,975 | 5.4% |
| blanks/nulls | 2,971 | ||
| Total valid votes | 954,131 |
Source: [1]
Ibáñez, however, failed to obtain an absolute majority, and thus, had to be confirmed by Congress, which chose among the top two majorities. The voting was the following:
| Candidate | Votes |
|---|---|
| Carlos Ibáñez del Campo | 132 |
| Arturo Matte Larraín | 12 |
| blanks | 30 |
| Total votes | 174 |
| Absent Congressmen | 18 |
