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| Binominal system (Chile) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Binominal system (Chile) |
| Native name | Sistema binominal |
| Type | Electoral system |
| Implemented | 1989 |
| Abolished | 2015 |
| Used for | Elections to the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, Senate of Chile |
Binominal system (Chile) The binominal system in Chile was an electoral mechanism established under the Military dictatorship of Chile, reintroduced during the transition overseen by Augusto Pinochet, and used in elections for the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile until its replacement following reforms in the Bachelet administration. It produced predictable outcomes that affected party behavior involving figures such as Patricio Aylwin, Ricardo Lagos, Sebastián Piñera and institutions including the Concertación and the Alianza por Chile. The system became a focal point in debates involving the 1999–2000 Chilean presidential election, the 2010 Chilean presidential election, and constitutional discussions tied to the Constitution of Chile (1980).
The binominal system allocated two seats per electoral district, with a seat distribution rule influenced by lists presented by coalitions such as the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia and the Alianza por Chile, and underwritten by provisions from the Constitution of Chile (1980), the Electoral Service (Servicio Electoral de Chile), and legal frameworks shaped by actors like Augusto Pinochet and advisors close to Hernán Büchi. It produced frequent tie-like outcomes favoring major coalitions exemplified by leaders such as Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Michelle Bachelet, Joaquín Lavín and Andrés Allamand, prompting critique from academics linked to the Universidad de Chile, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and international observers including representatives from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Origins trace to the 1980 constitution drafted during the Military dictatorship of Chile under Augusto Pinochet, building on institutional legacies involving Javier Fernández-era legislation and the transitional pacts that led to the 1988 Chilean national plebiscite and the 1989 Chilean general election. The system shaped composition of legislatures during administrations of Patricio Aylwin, Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Ricardo Lagos, and Michelle Bachelet, intersecting with policies from ministries like the Ministry of the Interior (Chile) and debates in the Supreme Court of Chile. Opposition movements including Movimiento Ciudadano, student protests linked to figures such as Camila Vallejo, and civil society organizations like Comisión de Verdad y Reconciliación (Rettig Report) engaged the system's legitimacy.
Under the binominal formula each electoral district elected two representatives: lists presented by coalitions such as the Concertación and the Alianza competed, with seat allocation rules influenced by relative list totals and thresholds applied in accordance with norms overseen by the Servicio Electoral de Chile (SERVEL). When the leading list did not double the votes of the runner-up, seats were split, benefiting duopolies involving parties such as the Christian Democratic Party (Chile), the Socialist Party of Chile, the National Renewal (Chile), and the Independent Democratic Union. Strategic behavior by politicians like Andrés Zaldívar, Camilo Escalona, Hernán Büchi, and Pablo Longueira led to coordinated list formations, closed-list practices, and tactical candidacies monitored by electoral authorities and litigated before the Constitutional Court of Chile.
Critics including scholars from the Centro de Estudios Públicos and activists allied with Frente Amplio (Chile) argued the system entrenched power for established coalitions such as the Concertación and the Alianza, marginalized smaller parties like Revolución Democrática and the Humanist Party (Chile), and limited representation for leaders such as Marco Enríquez-Ominami and Beatriz Sánchez. Commentators in outlets like La Tercera, El Mercurio, and La Nación (Chile) documented distortions in proportionality, candidate incentives studied by researchers at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado and the University of Cambridge, and international critique from entities including the United Nations and the Organization of American States. Human rights advocates linked the system to debates in the National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture and discussions about the legacy of Pinochet-era institutions.
After sustained mobilization involving political actors such as Michelle Bachelet, Ricardo Lagos, Sebastián Piñera, and social movements like the 2011–2013 Chilean student protests, legislative initiatives culminated in reforms passed by the National Congress of Chile in 2015 that introduced a proportional system influenced by comparative models from Germany, Sweden, and experiences studied by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. The reform process invoked debates in the Chamber of Deputies of Chile and the Senate of Chile, deliberations before the Constitutional Court of Chile, and advocacy from parties including Comunes and Evópoli. The new system was implemented for the 2017 Chilean general election, ending the binominal era and altering district magnitude and seat allocation administered by SERVEL.
Legacies include sustained discussion about electoral fairness in contexts involving the 2019–2020 Chilean protests, the subsequent 2019 Chilean national plebiscite, and the drafting process of the Constitutional Convention (Chile), where debates on representation referenced binominal-era distortions documented by scholars at the Council of State and think tanks like Fundación Democracia y Desarrollo. The system's abolition reshaped party systems affecting coalitions such as the Concertación successor coalitions and the Chile Vamos grouping, influenced political careers of figures like Gabriel Boric and José Antonio Kast, and remains a subject in comparative studies at institutions like the London School of Economics and Harvard University regarding institutional design, proportionality, and transitional justice in post-authoritarian contexts.
Category:Electoral systems Category:Politics of Chile