With 97,52% of the ballot boxes counted the result is conclusive: Michelle Bachelet of the Coalición por la Democracia is president elect; Sebastián Piñera recognised her victory in a lengthy, emotional speech that also claimed the result was a "triumph" for his own coalition, the Alianza por Chile. Piñera, who spent the hours between casting his vote and the first results piloting his helicopter over Santiago with a select bunch of journalists (ElMostrador.cl), was brought rudely down to earth by the news that Bachelet was heading for victory with 53,51% of the counted votes, a margin slightly greater than expected, and significantly greater that that obtained by the actual Presidente Lagos over his opponent Joaquín Lavín in 1999 (Lagos was elected with 51,31% of the votes, also in the second round). I am happy to say that the machismo referred to in my earlier post has not been evident in the results of the election: Bachelet got 53,72% of mens' votes, and 53,33% of womens' votes. Bachelet will be Chile's first female president. In his speech, Piñera admited defeat
gracefully, wishing Bachelet well, praying that God would guide her as the new President of all the Chileans, and expressing his commitment on behalf of the Alianza to continue with the project they had started and as an effective opposition in the new government. Bachelet later went to meet Piñera and his wife at their headquarters, and as the victorious Bachelet and the defeated Piñera cordially greeted each other on the stage at the hotel, the directional microphone worn by Piñera captured his words, which were broadcast live on TV: "I will visit you, you will see that it is not easy to govern a country..."