Chile's Communist Candidate Favored in Presidential Election Polls

The candidate of the Communist Party of Chile, Daniel Jadue, remains the frontrunner in polls for the presidential elections scheduled for November 21, according to results released today.

The Plaza Pública poll, by the Cadem consulting firm, places Jadue in the lead with 14 percent of spontaneous preferences, one point more than a week ago, followed by Joaquín Lavín of the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI).

In third place is the president of the Senate, Yasna Provoste, from the Christian Democrats, considered a likely candidate although she has not yet been elected as such by that party; and Sebastián Sichel, independent from the right, both with nine percent.

Compared to last Monday’s poll, Provoste fell four percentage points while Sichel gained the same amount.

The results were issued as the race for La Moneda [seat of the presidency in Santiago, Chile] begins to gain momentum. The primaries, to elect the candidates of the ruling party and the opposition, are scheduled for July 18.

According to the Plaza Pública poll, behind these candidates are Pamela Jiles (Humanist Party), Gabriel Boric (Broad Front) and José Antonio Kast (Republican Party, far-right), all with six percent.

Still lower in the preferences are the candidates Mario Desbordes (National Renovation) and Ignacio Briones (Evópoli), both with only two percent of support; and Paula Narváez (Socialist Party) and Carlos Maldonado (Radical Party), with about one percentage point each.

Because of the lack of strong support for any one candidate, all signs point—according to experts—to a second round in which Jadue’s lead will become difficult to defend unless a solid strategic alliance or platform is built by his party.

Featured image: Daniel Jadue, presidential candidate representing the Chilean Communist Party. File photo.

(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content

Translation: Orinoco Tribune

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