Weekly Report - 4 April 2013 (WR-13-13)

Former president Michelle Bachelet waited more than three years to confirm that she would seek to run for the presidency again, despite being the constant source of speculation. When, this week, she finally revealed her intention to seek another term in November, it was totally overshadowed by the president of the Partido Comunista (PCCh), Guillermo Teillier, who for the first time admitted that he had authorised a failed attempt to assassinate General Augusto Pinochet in 1986. Teillier was roundly condemned by Democracia Cristiana (DC), the largest faction in the opposition coalition Concertación. The DC and the PCCh pose a serious challenge for Bachelet. The DC, the least left-wing party in the Concertación, opposes a shared congressional slate with the PCCh, which is favoured by Bachelet.