The PRI competed as part of Chile Limpio, along with the Partido Ecologista, in last October's municipal elections. It made a pretty impressive debut, winning 8% of council seats and seven mayoral seats. A poll conducted by the national daily La Tercera shortly after the elections suggested Zaldívar would win 7% for the PRI in the first round of presidential elections in December. This led the standardbearer of the Alianza, Sebastián Piñera, to court the PRI for a second-round alliance to take votes from the Concertación. Zaldívar knows if the PRI wins the sum of the difference between the Concertación and Alianza candidate in the first round (up to 10%) it would cast him in the role of kingmaker in the run-off, able to dictate terms to both parties in exchange for the PRI's support.
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