View source for President of Chile

{{short description|Head of state and government of Chile}}
{{for|a list|List of presidents of Chile}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{mcn|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox Political Post
| post = President
| body = the Republic of Chile
| native_name = ''Presidente de la República de Chile''
| insignia = 
| insigniasize = 
| insigniacaption = 
| flag = Bandera del presidente de Chile.svg{{!}}border
| flagsize = 125px
| flagcaption = [[Flag of Chile|Presidential standard]]
| image = Gabriel Boric asume la Presidencia de Chile.jpg
| imagesize = 180px
| incumbent = [[Gabriel Boric]]
| incumbentsince = 11 March 2022
| residence = [[Palace of Cerro Castillo]]
| seat = [[La Moneda Palace]]
| style = [[Excellency|His Excellency]]
| department = [[Politics_of_Chile|Executive branch of the government of Chile]]
| type = [[Head of state]]<br />[[Head of government]]
| termlength = Four years,
| termlength_qualified = renewable non-consecutively
| constituting_instrument = [[Chilean Constitution of 1980|Constitution of Chile]] (1980)
| appointer = [[2021 Chilean general election|Popular vote]]
| inaugural = [[Manuel Blanco Encalada]]
| succession = [[President of Chile#Line of succession|Line of succession]]
| deputy = [[Ministry of the Interior and Public Security (Chile)| Ministry of the Interior and Public Security]]<br />(as ex officio "[[Vice President of Chile|Vice-President]]")
| formation = {{start date and age|1826|6|9|p=1|br=1}}
| salary = 155,199,315 [[Chilean peso]]s/US$190,466 annually<ref name="igcompaycheck">{{cite web|url=https://www.ig.com/uk/forex/research/pay-check|title=IG.com Pay Check|publisher=IG}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|http://www.gob.cl/}}
}}
{{Politics of Chile}}

The '''president of Chile''' ({{langx|es|Presidente de Chile}}), officially the '''president of the Republic of Chile''' ({{langx|es|Presidente de la República de Chile}}), is the [[head of state]] and [[head of government]] of the [[Republic of Chile]]. The president is responsible for both [[Government of Chile|government administration]] and state administration.<ref>See [https://web.archive.org/web/20070409111808/http://www.tribunalconstitucional.cl/archivos/sentencias/Rol_78.pdf ''Sentencia Rol 78-1989''] of the [[Constitutional Court of Chile]], relapsed on the Central Bank of Chile's Constitutional Act project (declarations Nº 7 to 13).</ref> Although its role and significance have changed over [[history of Chile|time]], and its position and relations with other actors in the [[politics of Chile|national political organization]] have also evolved, it remains one of the most prominent political offices in the country. It is also considered one of the key institutions that form the "Historic Constitution of Chile," and is crucial to the country's political stability.<ref name="Bravo Lira0">{{cite book| author = Bravo Lira, Bernardino| chapter = Introducción. Raíz y razón del Estado de derecho en Chile| title = El Estado de Derecho en la Historia de Chile| year = 1996| publisher = Ediciones Universidad Católica de Chile| location = [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]], [[Chile]] }}</ref>

Under the current [[Chilean Constitution of 1980|Constitution]], adopted in [[1980 Chilean constitutional referendum|1980]], the president serves a four-year term and is not eligible for immediate re-election. The shorter term (previously it was six years) allows for synchronized parliamentary and presidential elections. The president's official seat is the [[La Moneda Palace]] in the capital [[Santiago, Chile|Santiago]].

[[Michelle Bachelet]] was the first female president of Chile and served twice, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018.<ref>{{cite news |title=Chile's first female president Michelle Bachelet will rise to human rights mission |url=https://www.france24.com/en/20180810-chile-first-female-president-michelle-bachelet-rise-human-rights-challenge |work=France 24 |date=10 August 2018 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Farewell to the last female president in the Americas {{!}} DW {{!}} 17.11.2017 |url=https://www.dw.com/en/farewell-to-the-last-female-president-in-the-americas/a-41432398 |work=DW.COM |publisher=Deutsche Welle |date=17 November 2017}}</ref> [[Gabriel Boric]] is the current president, having won the [[2021 Chilean general election]] and taken office on 11 March 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leftist Gabriel Boric to become Chile's youngest ever president |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59715941 |work=BBC News |date=20 December 2021}}</ref>

==History==
The origins of Chile as a nation can be traced to 1541, when it was separated from the existing Viceroyalty of Peru by King [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles I]], creating the new [[Captaincy General of Chile|Kingdom of Chile]]. The head of state continued to be the king, but he was represented locally by the [[Royal Governor of Chile|Royal Governor]].

==Features of the office==

===Requirements===
The [[Chilean Constitution of 1980|Constitution of 1980]], with its 2005 amendment, outlines the qualifications for becoming president. To be eligible, the individual must be a [[natural-born citizen|natural-born]] Chilean citizen or born abroad to Chilean parents or grandparents. They must also be at least 35 years old<ref>{{cite web |url=http://chile.gob.cl/en/consulados/tramites/para-chilenos/documentos/nacionalidad/ |title=Chile en el Exterior » Nationality |access-date=17 July 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160724164241/http://chile.gob.cl/en/consulados/tramites/para-chilenos/documentos/nacionalidad/ |archive-date=24 July 2016  }}</ref> and meet all the requirements for becoming a [[Chilean Senate|Senator]].

In addition, the president must have the right to vote as a [[Chilean citizenship|fully Chilean citizen]], which includes being at least 18 years of age, not having been sentenced to a severe punishment, not having lost the right to vote due to insanity, not having been tried or condemned for a serious crime or terrorist conduct, nor condemned by the [[Constitutional Court of Chile|Constitutional Court]] under Article 8 of the Chilean Constitution.

[[File:Juan Antonio Rios votando.JPG|left|180px|thumb|[[Juan Antonio Ríos]] voting in the [[1942 Chilean presidential election|1942 election]], where he was elected as President.]]

===Election===
Article 26 detail the electoral requirements. The president shall be elected by direct ballot, with an absolute majority of the votes validly cast. A [[two-round system]] is used. In order to win the election in the first round, the winning candidate's party must receive more than 50 percent of the valid votes leaving out of the count blank and spoiled votes.

The election shall be held the third Sunday of November of the year immediately before the end of the administration of the president then holding office. Should there be more than two candidates in the presidential election, none of them obtaining more than half of the votes validly cast, a new election shall be held. The second election ("balloting"), in the manner determined by law, shall be held the fourth Sunday after the first election, limited to the two candidates with the highest relative majorities. Then, the candidate with the majority of valid votes in that round is elected president. Previously, under the 1925 constitution, the Congress of Chile elected the president in the run-off, including (notably) in the [[1970 Chilean presidential election]].

===Term duration===
[[File:Michelle_Bachelet_asume_como_Presidenta,_11_de_marzo_de_2014.jpg|thumb|Both [[Michelle Bachelet]] (center) and [[Sebastián Piñera]] (right) were elected for two non-consecutive terms.]]
Under the 1828 constitution, the president served for four years, without the possibility of immediate reelection for one more term. In 1833, the presidential period was changed to five years, with a possibility of immediate reelection for one more term, limited to two consecutive terms. Then by a constitutional reform in 1878, possibility for reelection became disallowed. Under the 1925 constitution, the president served for a six-year term, without the possibility of immediate reelection. Non-consecutive election was possible, as seen with [[Jorge Alessandri]] (president 1958-1964) running a close second in the momentous election of 1970, although ultimately it did not occur. 
 
In the original text of the 1980 constitution,  the president served for an eight-year term without the possibility of immediate reelection. Some transitory disposals, fixed during the [[military dictatorship of Chile|military dictatorship]] of the general [[Augusto Pinochet]], allowed the exceptional possibility of his reelection in the [[1988 Chilean national plebiscite|1988 plebiscite]]. Then, in the [[Chilean transition to democracy|transition to democracy]] the [[1989 Chilean constitutional referendum|1989 referendum]] established a first transitional four-year presidential term (1990–1994), followed by common eight-year terms, without the possibility of immediate reelection. However, in 4 March 1994 (a week before [[Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle]] took office) the presidential period was reduced to a six-year term, without an immediate reelection. 

Under the 2005 constitutional reform, the president serves for four years without the possibility of immediate reelection for one more term. A former president may run for office once again after serving their initial term, but only in an election following their successor, as it is not allowed to run for consecutive terms. There is no limit to how many times a person can run for candidacy if they have not previously served as president.

The incumbent president, in accordance with the constitution, completes their corresponding term on 11 March of the immediate year after the election. The [[President-elect of Chile|president-elect]] takes office the same day.

===Succession===
If the president is unable to perform his or her duties, the President's powers are usually temporarily transferred to the [[Ministry of the Interior and Public Security (Chile)|minister of the interior]] under the title of "[[Vice President of Chile|Vice President]]".  However, this is not a substantive position.  Rather, the holder of the position fulfills the duties of the president only for as long as the president is incapacitated or a vacancy occurs.  If the president and the minister of the interior are both temporarily unavailable, the next minister of the government, in the order of succession, becomes the vice president. The consent of the Senate is required for the vice president to exercise the duties of the president.

=== Line of succession ===
A partial constitutional amendment in 2011 established the order of presidential succession in the order of Minister of the Interior, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Minister of National Defense. <ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.bcn.cl/leychile/Navegar?idNorma=5654|title= DECRETO QUE ORGANIZA LAS SECRETARIAS DEL ESTADO|accessdate=2023-06-18}}</ref>
{{Presidential orders of succession}}
Names of incumbents {{As of|2023|lc=on}}:
: '''President of the Republic: [[Gabriel Boric]]'''
# [[Minister of the Interior and Public Security (Chile)|Minister of the Interior and Public Security]]: [[Carolina Tohá]]
# [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Chile)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]]: [[Alberto van Klaveren]]
# [[Ministry of National Defense (Chile)|Minister of National Defense]]: [[Maya Fernández]]
# [[Ministry of Finance (Chile)|Minister of Finance]]: [[Mario Marcel]]
# [[Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency (Chile)|Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency]]: [[Álvaro Elizalde]]
# [[Ministry General Secretariat of Government (Chile)|Minister General Secretariat of Government]]: [[Camila Vallejo]]
# [[Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism (Chile)|Minister of Economy]]: [[Nicolás Grau]]
# [[Ministry of Social Development (Chile)|Minister of Social Development]]: [[Giorgio Jackson]]
# [[Ministry of Education (Chile)|Minister of Education]]: [[Marco Antonio Ávila]]
# [[Ministry of Justice (Chile)|Minister of Justice]]: [[Luis Cordero Vega]]
# [[Ministry of Labor and Social Provision (Chile)|Minister of Labor and Social Provision]]: [[Jeannette Jara]]
# [[Ministry of Housing and Urbanism (Chile)|Minister of Housing & Urbanism]]: [[Carlos Montes Cisternas]]
# [[President of the Senate of Chile|President of the Senate]]: [[Juan Antonio Coloma Correa]]
# [[President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile|President of the chamber of Deputies]]: [[Ricardo Cifuentes]]

==Presidential symbols==
=== Presidential sash ===
[[File:Aylwin Banda.jpg|160px|thumb|President Patricio Aylwin (in office 1990–1994) wearing the [[presidential sash]] in his official portrait.]]
The [[presidential sash]], used initially by [[Bernardo O'Higgins]], became a symbol of the authority of the first president with the assumption of office by President [[José Joaquín Prieto]] in 1831. It is composed of three stripes with the colors of the Chilean flag, it is sewn by hand and measured approximately {{convert|75|cm|in|abbr=on}} long and {{convert|13|cm|in|abbr=on}} wide.

From the nineteenth century a single sash was maintained that was transferred from president to president until 1915, due to the height differences between the outgoing [[Ramón Barros Luco]] and the elected [[Juan Luis Sanfuentes]], so a new sash had to be designed. Since that date, each president has had his or her own presidential sash, which is used only in official ceremonies.

=== O'Higgins Pioche ===
[[File:Piocha de O'Higgins, Boric posesión.jpg|160px|thumb|The [[O'Higgins Pioche]].]]
The [[O'Higgins Pioche]], which is considered the symbol of presidential power and is placed at the lower end of the presidential sash, is a star of five ends of about {{convert|7|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter, enameled in red. It dates back to the medals of the Legion of Merit and remained intact until the coup d'état of 1973, when it disappeared during the bombing of the [[La Moneda]] palace. During the military regime of [[Augusto Pinochet]] a replica of the pioche was created, based on photographs of the original. It is only used together with the presidential sash.
=== Ford Galaxie 500 ===
{{Main|Official state car#Chile}}
The president of Chile traditionally used an elegant horse drawn "Bandeja" [[Carriage]] imported from France by President [[José Manuel Balmaceda]] for ceremonial events until president [[Salvador Allende]], not wanting to project the image of royalty that carriages now confer, used the black 1966 [[Ford Galaxie|Ford Galaxie XL]] convertible acquired in 1968 for Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Chile as his official vehicle with a normally issued license plate (EL-2801).<ref>{{Cite book|title=The State Coaches of the Republic of Chile|last=Manrique|first=Father Jaimie|publisher=The Carriage Journal|date=Spring 1978|pages=373–375|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HIU8DwAAQBAJ&q=Jos%C3%A9+Manuel+Balmaceda+carriage&pg=PA373|volume=15|issue=4|access-date=5 August 2019}}</ref>  
 
Both the carriage and the Galaxie have since been maintained by the state and are now used only for official ceremonies, such as state visits and the national holidays on 21 May and 19 September, and presidential inaugurations which take place on 11 March every four years.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.munitalagante.cl/noticias/2008/03_marzo/08_permisopresidenta/noticia.htm |title=Municipalidad De Talagante |publisher=Munitalagante.cl |access-date=25 April 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.munitalagante.cl/noticias/2008/03_marzo/08_permisopresidenta/noticia.htm |title=::: I. Municipalidad De Talagante ::: |publisher=Munitalagante.cl |access-date=25 April 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326055324/http://www.munitalagante.cl/noticias/2008/03_marzo/08_permisopresidenta/noticia.htm |archive-date=26 March 2009 }}</ref>
<gallery widths="140px">
File:Fiestas Patrias de Chile - Parada Militar.JPG|Juan Luis Sanfuentes arriving at the [[Great Military Parade of Chile|Dia de las Glorias del Ejercito]] in 1916
File:Fordgalaxie.JPG|Ford Galaxie 500, the presidential car used in ceremonies
File:Inauguración de Fonda Oficial (5013163916).jpg|Sebastián Piñera in the Balmaceda carriage on [[Fiestas Patrias (Chile)|Fiestas Patrias]] in 2010
File:21-05-2011_Discurso_Presidencial_del_21_de_mayo_(2).jpg|Sebastián Piñera in the Ford Galaxie on [[Navy Day (Chile)|Navy Day]] 2011
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[Vice President of Chile]]
* [[Presidents of Chile timeline]]
* [[2021 Chilean presidential election]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.presidencia.cl/ Presidencia] {{in lang|es}}

{{Presidents of Chile}}
{{Chile topics}}
{{Supreme Directors of Chile}}
{{South America in topic|Presidents of}}
{{Heads of State of the South America}}

[[Category:Presidents of Chile| ]]
[[Category:Government of Chile]]
[[Category:Presidents by country|Chile]]
[[Category:1826 establishments in Chile]]