Pablo Silva Amaya will go for re-election and cleared the panorama in the ruling party, however, in the opposition there is nothing clear just months before a momentous election.
Next October the O’Higgins Regionlike all other regions of the country, will renew its local authorities, and while in the ruling party the re-nomination of the current governor Pablo Silva Amaya It simplifies any political negotiation, on the opposite political side nothing is clear.
In 2021 the opposition was represented by Eduardo Cornejo UDI activist, who in the first round reached 73,695 votes, which is equivalent to 22.16%, while Silva Amaya, reached 80,927 votes, which represents 24.33%, both passing to the second round, while the current minister of agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela obtained 20.41%, FRanklin Gallardo 19.03% and the former deputy and former DC Ricardo Rincon 14.07%, who were left behind.
In a second round with a noticeable drop in participation, the Center Right reached just 49,622 (42.33%) while the ruling party reached 67,603 votes (57.67%).
What is happening today in the Center Right?
There was talk a few months ago about the possibility that the former mayor of Rancagua, Eduardo Soto would take on the challenge of wresting the regional governorship from the Socialist Party next October, however, Soto would see with more enthusiasm the option of recovering the municipality of Rancagua, mired in a deep crisis and with the current mayor Juan Ramon Godoy deprived of liberty and accused of serious crimes, although it is not a settled issue, and other names are even being considered to compete for Rancagua, such as the councilor Maria del Carmen Orueta.
The one who has openly shown interest in competing is the regional councilor Lenin Arroyo, who intended to obtain the support of the Republican Party and become the only candidate in the sector, but reports indicate that the other Parties in the sector would have ruled out supporting Arroyo. From the Republican Party the name of Fernando Ugarte as a possible option to compete for the seat of regional governor, while a former member of that Party, today close to the Social Christians, Marcelo Ramirezhas also been mentioned as an alternative, although RN also talks about the former mayor Felipe Uribe.
Finally, Juan de Dios Valdiviesocurrent director of the IdeaPaís Foundation in O’Higgins and who was a candidate for conventional constituent for district 16 in the first constituent process, is also mentioned as an independent option that could attract transversal support in the sector.
What if there is no agreement?
Given this very liquid scenario, the option of the sector simply omitting itself in O’Higgins to support the letter promoted by the Democratic Party and Yellowswhich until now could be Ricardo Rinconbut it could also have different alternatives.
And the deadlines?
The calendar plays against the indecision of the Parties, which have until July 27 to register their options, so negotiations should intensify in the coming days and weeks.
The challenges of election and office
The mandatory voting scenario completely opens the election beyond the names that end up appearing on the October ballot, just remember that in the first round of 2021 332,616 citizens voted in O’Higgins, while, in the constitutional plebiscite of In 2023, with mandatory voting in place, 734,162 voters went to the polls, that is, more than double the number of potential voters than in the previous election.
Regarding the position and its challenges, in addition to lacking powers in a series of matters, which has been profusely claimed by the current governors, the position does offer important options regarding the investment of resources in a series of sensitive matters for the development of the region, which represents an opportunity to put a stamp on the next administration, which could have a significant impact on a depressed economy compared to the other regions of the country.
