Chile prepares for presidential election

(Vatican Radio) Chile is poised to hold its Presidential Election on Sunday. Former President Michelle Bachelet is the front runner, but the number of Candidates might mean a second round runoff, next month.

Michelle Bachelet, who was Chile's first woman President between 2006 and 2010, is the Candidate for the left of Center New Majority. She is basing her Campaign this time around on free education for all. The last four years have been punctuated by prolonged student protests demanding just that, so this will be popular with younger voters. She also wants to raise corporate tax to 25 percent and establish a state-run pension fund.

Her main opponent is Evelyn Matthei, Candidate for the ruling conservative Alliance Party. A trained economist, she was Minister of Labor in the current Administration of President Sebastion Pinera. She argues that free education for all is not currently practically possible, and this improbably rallying cry is a throwback to the era of the Berlin Wall.

There are a number of other Candidates, so it is open to debate if Michelle Batchelet would be able to win outright in the first round of the Election.

This weekend voters in Chile will decide just that.

Listen to James Blears’ report: