Actions on election day in Chile

The militant mobilization and actions against the elections by the Chilean people culminated on past Sunday, on election day, in a number of activities. In various parts of Chile direct acts of sabotage were carried out against the smooth running of the electoral circus. In Santiago, a demonstration was held in favor of boycotting the elections.

After the attacks on offices of the administrative body supervising the elections during the past week, the election day in Chile itself was marked by militant actions sabotaging the logistics of the election. In the provinces of Malleco, Santiago and Arauco the transportation to and from polling sites was blocked by various means. In more then once instance, buses got torched designated to shuttle people to those sites. Close to the city of Contulmo, equipment and machinery of the local forestry authority was set ablaze, effectively blocking any traffic between Ercilla and Collipulli.

After a turnout of only 35% of potential voters in the Communal Elections last year, a turnout of roughly 50% was prognosticated for these elections. Despite the massive campaign by the old Chilean state calling to participate in the elections – including tweets by its current president Michelle Bachelet, making local transport free the whole day and allowing workers to leave their job in order to vote – turnout was low. Regarding the election, even the German newspaper Handelsblatt on Monday titled “Riots and many abstentions in the elections in Chile”, also referring to the actions of young revolutionaries that were able occupy the central electoral headquarters of the candidate considered to win the elections, Sebastián Piñera.

This was done, after the demonstration to boycott the elections was attacked and dispersed by the police. Many (especially young) people took to different public places and offices, making their slogans heard all over the city of Santiago. Among them, a group of 40 people was able to enter and occupy the offices of Piñera. Run-off elections are scheduled to happened on the 17th of December, so the electoral circus and the people’s protest against the rotten system are considered to continue.