Weekly Report - 22 January 2009 (ISSN 1741-7422)

The ruling Concertación faces a stern challenge from the Left in December's presidential elections, perhaps stern enough to allow the Right to come to power for the first time since the return to democracy in 1990. The challenge is being spearheaded by a veteran politician from the Partido Socialista (PS), Jorge Arrate, who quit the party last week to set up a broad leftwing coalition, including dissident Socialists and the Partido Comunista, shortly before the PS leadership became the second of the four constituent parties of the Concertación to nominate former president Eduardo Frei (1994-2000) as its presidential candidate. Frei already has the support of his party, Democracia Cristiana (DC).