1999 Concertación presidential primary

Zaldívar and others during campaign.

The presidential campaign of 1999 was marked by the economic crisis that affected the country. The government of Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle was badly beaten with unemployment rates close to 11% and negative growth. Due to the existence of several presidential candidates within the different political parties of the Concertación, the single presidential candidate to be presented on 12 December should have been elected by means of the primary elections.[2]

In this scenario, the main governing party - the Christian Democrats - sought their third consecutive term, shuffling the names of Gabriel Valdés Subercaseaux, Alejandro Foxley, Enrique Krauss and Andrés Zaldívar. Finally the DC raised as pre-candidate to Senator Zaldívar.[1]

As in the 1993 primaries, Ricardo Lagos Escobar presented himself as the candidate of the left wing of the Concertación. Lagos resigned as Minister of Public Works on July 31, 1998 to focus on his presidential campaign. He began to build his campaign from the Fundación Chile XXI study center, where much of his work team was gathered.

Thus, in November 1998, the Concertación opted to hold open and binding primary elections to select its flag-bearer for the presidential elections between Lagos and Zaldívar. A National Primaries Organizing Committee was formed, made up of 10 leaders of the parties Concertación, which established 16 731 polling stations in 870 premises reprinted by all the municipalities of the country.[1]

The election was held on Sunday, May 30, 1999, a day that was not without problems, as a power cut affected much of the country, giving rise to rumors of attack that were discarded. Finally, with more than one million two hundred thousand voters, Ricardo Lagos defeated Andrés Zaldívar with 71% of the votes, consecrating himself as the only candidate of the Concertación.[3]