1952 Chilean presidential election

Presidential elections were held in Chile on 4 September 1952.[1] The result was a victory for Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, who ran as an independent.

1952 Chilean presidential election

← 1946 4 September 1952 1958 →
Turnout86.61%
 
Candidate Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Arturo Matte Larraín
Party Independent Liberal
Popular vote 446,439 265,357
Percentage 46.79% 27.81%
Congress vote 132 12

 
Candidate Pedro Enrique Alfonso Salvador Allende
Party Radical Socialist
Popular vote 190,360 51,975
Percentage 19.95% 5.45%

President before election

Gabriel González Videla
Radical

Elected President

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo
Independent

Electoral system

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The election was held using the absolute majority system, under which a candidate had to receive over 50% of the popular vote to be elected. If no candidate received over 50% of the vote, both houses of the National Congress would come together to vote on the two candidates who received the most votes.[2]

Candidates

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Pedro Enrique Alfonso

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Alfonso was the candidate of the Radical Party, and was also supported by the social democratic parties. His government would have become the fourth consecutive Radical administration, since Pedro Aguirre Cerda was elected president.

Salvador Allende

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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. Allende would run three more times, winning in 1970.

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

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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 Socialist Popular Party and the Agrarian Labor Party, among others.

Arturo Matte

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Matte was a Liberal Party senator supported by the Liberal and Conservative parties. He was Finance Minister under the administration of Juan Antonio Ríos.

Results

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CandidatePartyPopular voteCongress vote
Votes%Votes%
Carlos Ibáñez del CampoIndependent446,43946.7913291.67
Arturo Matte LarraínLiberal Party265,35727.81128.33
Pedro Enrique Alfonso BarriosRadical Party190,36019.95
Salvador AllendeSocialist Party51,9755.45
Total954,131100.00144100.00
Valid votes954,13199.6914482.76
Invalid/blank votes2,9710.313017.24
Total votes957,102100.00174100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,105,02986.6119290.62
Source: Nohlen, Chilean Electoral Database

References

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  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p262 ISBN 978-0-19-928358-3
  2. ^ Nohlen, p259