SANTIAGO, Dec. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chile will hold presidential and congressional elections on Sunday. The following are some key facts about the South American country in the run-up to its fifth voting since the end of the 1973-90 military regime of Augusto Pinochet.
Chile is the longest and narrowest nation in the world, with a total area of 756, 626 sq km. It boasts a 10,300 km Pacific coastline. It borders Argentina to the east, Bolivia and Peru to the north.
All Chilean citizens over 18 years of age are eligible to vote. Out of the country's 16.6 million population, more than 8 million people have registered to vote.
Voting opens at 7:00 a.m local time (1000 GMT) and ends at 16:00 (1900 GMT) on Sunday, at around 34,300 polling tables. Preliminary official results will be announced at 19:00 (2200 GMT)on Sunday night.
Four candidates are running for the president. According to the latest opinion polls, Sebastian Pinera Echenique, candidate of the opposition Coalition for Change gained 44.1 percent of support, followed by Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle of the ruling Concert of Parties for Democracy (also called Concertacion), with 31 percent, Marco Enriquez-Ominami Gumucio of Independent with 17.7 percent, and Jorge Arrate with 7.2 percent.
Under the country's reformed constitution unveiled in September2005, the presidential term was reduced from six years to four years. A presidential candidate needs an absolute majority of votes to be declared the winner. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the votes, the two leading candidates will contest a runoff election on Jan. 17, 2010. The winner will succeed President Michelle Bachelet on March 11, 2010.
The congressional election will involve the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies. All of the 120 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 18 out of the 38 seats in the Senate will be up for grabs. There are more than 500 candidates vying for the seats. Deputies and senators serve for a period of four years and eight years respectively. Reelection is permitted.
More than 35,000 policemen and soldiers have been deployed across the country for election security.
