Bachelet leading Chile election, may need runoff

By Anthony Esposito

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Michelle Bachelet looked in the pole position to become Chile's president again, but was falling short of the votes needed to avoid a December runoff.

A partial official count on Sunday had her leading with 45.1 percent of votes.

Evelyn Matthei, the candidate for the governing right-wing Alianza coalition, was at 24.8 percent, according to the national electoral service Servel's projection with 6.5 percent of all votes counted. Seven other candidates were counted at 11.9 percent or less.

Outright victory requires at least 50 percent of the votes - something that has not happened in 20 years. Otherwise, the two top contenders will go head to head on December 15.

Pollsters and political analysts believe Bachelet would easily win a runoff against Matthei, with supporters of the minor candidates expected to back Bachelet or abstain.

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People vote during the presidential election, inside a voting station at the National Stadium in San …

The center-left Bachelet has promised to tackle deep inequality in Chile by improving education, a need that has led to loud demonstrations in recent years. She also wants to upend a constitution that dates back to Augusto Pinochet's 17-year dictatorship.

Chile's free-market economy and rapid copper-fueled growth have made it a Latin American success story during the last two decades. It has made enormous headway toward eradicating poverty but still has work to do to join the ranks of developed countries.

Bachelet, who held the presidency from 2006 to 2010, was constitutionally barred from seeking immediate re-election after her first term, but left office enjoying extremely high popularity.

Political stalemate and her own inexperience stymied her ability to push through all the reforms she wanted in her first administration. Those in her circle, however, think there is more room for maneuver this time.

The make-up of Congress will be crucial, though, as under the Chilean system, the governing coalition needs more than a simple majority to pass some kinds of legislation. All 120 lower house seats and 20 out of 38 Senate seats are also being contested on Sunday.

(Writing by Anthony Esposito and Rosalba O'Brien; Editing by Philip Barbara and Jackie Frank)

Politics & GovernmentElectionsMichelle BacheletEvelyn MattheiChile
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