Theoretically, any citizen can apply as a candidate for a new Municipal Major or City Counselor in 345 districts (communes) in Chile.

For the first time as a reinforcing tool for democracy there is a specialized web platform named as “Portal de la Democracia“, where you can meet all candidates and even ask them specific questions on specific political radio programs and on line box systems about their political issues and policies.

Actually we are officially 8.110.265 voters according to SERVEL ( National Government Elections System on line) and we have 1.231 candidates for 345 positions as major districts!

Not to mention, an infested web-media propaganda on the Youtube or specific Political websites of our national media.

Even the international economical crisis has been somehow undersized to a second or third place in all districts due to 2008 Municipal Campaign: watching big ads of the candidates along the streets and highroads, on buses and trucks, or over and advertising platform, or magazines and newspapers during our last 3 months. Let alone the candidates break-ins in our homes, presenting personally their political plans and policies for our neighborhood and rural areas, giving different political materials such as stickers, pens, calendars, umbrellas, caps, and even pen drives and ipods for the young, or glasses and sweaters for the old ones. We face most of them for the first time in our lives!! And the candidates are heard and contacted warmly though they visit a living promoting a different candidate ad on the front window.

In less than a year, two new political parties have officialized their trend and support and registered in SERVEL Elections Government Department, representing approximately a group of 10% of dissident official list: ex supporters of the actual center-left Party’s Government “La Concertacion” .
These 2 new parties are Chile Primero and PRI of Regionalists. The official Head of the Senate is the president of political PRI party, Sen. Adolfo Zaldivar. Both groups were supported by dissident political leaders and senators in 2007 and many young and middle aged citizenship who felt embarrassed to support official Government issues and corrupted policies applied during the period 2006-2008. As a result of this new political trends, many specialist view a fascinating oncoming Presidential Elections for 2009 with this new political scenario in Chile.

According to official candidates’ website: a 26% of the voters have not defined a specific support, and more than a 50% doesn’t know the formal plans and policies of the candidates, so...

On October 26th, we have to vote for a candidate for Local major and a candidate for Local counselor during the next 4 years or to boat in some lake or river nearby waiting up for the results till next morning news from a reliable media broadcasting device... it’s such a good chance for this summer Sunday day in the nicest northern, central or southern area landscaping the Andes mountains in Chile.