Las bases sociales del Partido Demócrata Cristiano chileno: auge y caída (1958-2017)

Abstract

The social bases of the Chilean Christian Democrat Party: boom-fall (1958-2017)  The Chilean PDC has had a clear electoral fall. In the elections of 1973 – months before the fall of democracy – PDC achieved about 33 per cent of the votes, similar to that obtained in the first free elections after the dictatorship of General Pinochet (1973-1990). In the last elections of 2017, meanwhile, PDC got only 10.3 per cent. This trend opens a series of questions. Who are the PDC’s supporters? Is there continuity in its support bases from 1958 to 2017? Based on several surveys and aggregate electoral data at the community level, we note a surprising continuity in the profile of their voters. They tend to be Catholics, with political positions of center and - although with fluctuations - coming from the rural world. The dilemma for the PDC is that Catholicism has declined in Chile, the center has faded and the rural population has retreated. Resumen: El Partido Democrata Cristiano chileno ha sufrido un claro descenso electoral. En las elecciones de 1973, meses antes de la caida de la democracia, consiguio cerca del 33 por ciento de los votos, cifra similar a la que obtuvo en las primeras elecciones libres luego de la dictadura del general Pinochet (1973-1990). En las recientes elecciones de 2017 obtuvo solo el 10,3 por ciento. Esta tendencia abre una serie de preguntas. ?Quienes se identifican con el PDC? ?existe continuidad en sus bases de apoyo desde 1958 hasta 2017? Basandonos en varias encuestas y datos electorales agregados a nivel comunal, constatamos una sorprendente continuidad en el perfil de sus votantes. Suelen ser catolicos, con posturas politicas de centro y, aunque con fluctuaciones, provenientes del mundo rural. El dilema para el PDC es que el catolicismo ha decaido en Chile, el centro politico se ha difuminado y la poblacion rural ha retrocedido.