1931 Chilean presidential election

1931 Chilean presidential election

←  1927 4 October 1931 1932  →

Nominee Juan Esteban Montero Arturo Alessandri Party Radical Liberal Popular vote 182,177 99,075 Percentage 63.94% 34.77%

President before election Manuel Trucco Radical President Juan Esteban Montero Radical

Presidential elections were held in Chile on 4 October 1931. ^[1] The result was a landslide victory for Juan Esteban Montero of the Radical Party, who received 64% of the vote. ^[2] He was the first member of the Radical Party to be elected president. ^[2]

The elections took place amid economic turmoil due to the Great Depression and in the aftermath of the toppling of Carlos Ibáñez del Campo's military government. ^[2]

Electoral system

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. ^[3]

Results

Candidate		Party	Votes	%
	Juan Esteban Montero	Radical Party	182,177	63.94
	Arturo Alessandri	Liberal Party	99,075	34.77
	Elías Lafertte	Communist Party	2,434	0.85
	Manuel Hidalgo	Communist Left	1,226	0.43
Total			284,912	100.00
Valid votes			284,912	99.70
Invalid/blank votes			861	0.30
Total votes			285,773	100.00
Registered voters/turnout			388,959	73.47
Source: Gamonal, [4] Nohlen

References

1. Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p262 ISBN   978-0-19-928358-3
2. Drake, Paul (1991), Bethell, Leslie (ed.), "Chile, 1930 — 58" , The Cambridge History of Latin America: Volume 8: Latin America since 1930: Spanish South America, vol. 8, Cambridge University Press, pp. 267–310, doi:10.1017/chol9780521266529.006, ISBN   978-0-521-26652-9
3. Nohlen, p259
4. J. Germán Gamonal R. (1987) Jorge Alessandri, el hombre, el político, p65