ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the results of nineteen presidential and congressional elections to test constituency strength and to establish variations of popular support. Since presidential elections in Chile were usually entered by party coalitions, the regional variations of returns for these elections were considered on the basis of votes obtained by rightist, center-right, center-left, and leftist candidates. Traditionally the northern provinces of Chile have demonstrated a strong endorsement of leftist parties. The decreasing fortune of the Radicals primarily benefited the rising Christian Democracy. In Magallanes the principal opponents in political contests were the Socialist and the Radical parties. Considering the varied sociogeographical nature of the country, the analysis of electoral responses in Chile makes it evident that, far from a national consensus in politics, substantial spatial disparities have existed. In a national summary the highest interelectoral variations of all constituencies are found in the metropolitan area of the country.
