Chilean Mayors
Researched and edited by Alidad Vassigh*

25 December 2012: Chile is a unitary and relatively centralised state consisting of 15 regions, 51 provinces and around 346 municipalities or communes in descending order of geographic scale. Mayors and local councilors are elected every four years from the same roster of candidates, with the mayoral seat going to the candidate with the highest number of votes. Chile’s current institutional structure was developed under the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet, which governed from 1973 to 1990.

Municipal elections on 28 October 2012 were characterized by a low proportional turnout of eligible voters, attributed to a relative lack of interest in local polls and to changed electoral laws that increased voters. In contrast with previous elections, voter inscription was now automatic but voting voluntary – hence a larger number of eligible voters who chose not to vote. The abstention rate was about 60 per cent.

Mayors of the largest Chilean cities
(Readers are invited to supply information on additional Chilean cities and mayors. Please insert ‘Chilean mayors’ in the subject line of any emails.)