Rethinking Chilean Party Systems

Abstract

This article challenges three orthodoxies on the Chilean party system 1932-1973 and 1988/89-2000. While not completely wrong, these orthodoxies need to be reviewed. First, it has been overestimated the prevailing view that holds that the Chilean political parties are strong. Although in certain periods they have been strong in some areas, the party penetration in the electorate has not been strong. Often, the parties have come and gone, and have been quite weak in organizational terms. Also, the democratic periods in Chile have led to populist anti-partisan leaders to develop successful political careers, including access to the presidency. Second, some scholars have suggested that the Chilean party system has been structured into three roughly and equal ideological blocs —left, center and right— since the ‘30s. This argument is only partially correct because, although the party systems have had a significant left, center and right since 1932, the percentage of votes of these three ideological blocs has fluctuated considerably. Finally, the literature has suggested that the Chilean party system has been fairly stable. However, during the period 1932-1973 was more unstable than commonly accepted. Indeed, electoral volatility was high and the format (number) of the party system varied widely over time.