President of Chile facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids President of the Republic of Chile
Presidential standard
Incumbent Gabriel Boric since 11 March 2022
Executive branch of the government of Chile
Style	His Excellency
Residence	Palace of Cerro Castillo
Seat	La Moneda Palace
Appointer	Popular vote
Term length	Four years, renewable non-consecutively
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Chile (1980)
Inaugural holder	Manuel Blanco Encalada
Formation	June 9, 1826 (199 years ago) (1826-06-09)
Succession	Line of succession
Deputy	Ministry of the Interior and Public Security (as ex officio "Vice-President")
Salary	155,199,315 Chilean pesos/US$190,466 annually

The President of Chile (officially called the Presidente de la República de Chile in Spanish) is the main leader of the country. This person is both the head of state (the symbolic leader of the country) and the head of government (the person in charge of running the government). The president is responsible for managing the government and the country.

Over time, the president's role has changed. However, it remains one of the most important political jobs in Chile. It helps keep the country stable. The president's official office is the La Moneda Palace in Santiago, the capital city.

Under the current Constitution, which was put in place in 1980, the president serves for four years. They cannot be elected again right away. This shorter term helps make sure that presidential and parliamentary elections happen at the same time.

Michelle Bachelet was the first woman to become president of Chile. She served two terms, from 2006 to 2010 and again from 2014 to 2018. The current president is Gabriel Boric. He won the 2021 Chilean general election and started his term on March 11, 2022.

History of the Presidency
What it Takes to Be President
Symbols of the President
See also

History of the Presidency

Chile became a nation starting in 1541. At that time, it was called the Kingdom of Chile. The King of Spain was the head of state, but a Royal Governor represented him in Chile. This was before Chile became an independent republic with its own president.

What it Takes to Be President

Who Can Be President?

The Constitution of 1980, updated in 2005, explains who can become president. To be eligible, a person must be a Chilean citizen from birth. This also includes people born outside Chile if their parents or grandparents were Chilean.

They must also be at least 35 years old. Plus, they need to meet all the requirements to become a Senator. This means they must have the right to vote as a full Chilean citizen. To vote, a person must be at least 18 years old. They must not have been sentenced for serious crimes or lost their voting rights due to certain legal issues.

Juan Antonio Ríos voting in the 1942 election. He was elected President.

How the President is Elected

Article 26 of the Constitution describes how the president is elected. The president is chosen by a direct vote from the people. To win, a candidate needs more than half of all the valid votes.

Chile uses a two-round system for elections. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round, a second election is held. This second election happens four Sundays after the first one. Only the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round can participate. The candidate who gets the most votes in this second round becomes president.

How Long a President Serves

Both Michelle Bachelet (center) and Sebastián Piñera (right) served two non-consecutive terms.

The length of a president's term has changed over Chile's history.

In 1828, the term was four years, with no immediate re-election.
In 1833, it changed to five years, with the chance for one immediate re-election.
By 1878, immediate re-election was no longer allowed.
The 1925 constitution set the term at six years, with no immediate re-election.

The original 1980 constitution set an eight-year term. However, this was changed during the military government led by General Augusto Pinochet. Later, during the transition to democracy, a special four-year term was set for 1990–1994. After that, terms were eight years, but without immediate re-election.

On March 4, 1994, the presidential term was reduced to six years, still without immediate re-election. Finally, with the 2005 constitutional reform, the president now serves for four years. They cannot be re-elected right away. A former president can run for office again, but only after someone else has served a term after them. There is no limit to how many times a person can run if they haven't been president before.

The president's term officially ends on March 11 of the year after the election. The new president takes office on the same day.

Who Takes Over if the President Can't Serve?

If the president cannot do their job, their powers are temporarily given to the Minister of the Interior. This person is then called the "Vice President." This is not a permanent job, but a temporary role. The Minister acts as president only until the president can return or a new president is chosen.

If both the president and the Minister of the Interior are unavailable, the next minister in line takes over as "Vice President." The Senate must agree for this temporary vice president to act as president.

Order of Succession

A change to the Constitution in 2011 set the order of who takes over if the president cannot serve.

As of 2023, the order is:

President of the Republic: Gabriel Boric

Minister of the Interior and Public Security: Carolina Tohá
Minister of Foreign Affairs: Alberto van Klaveren
Minister of National Defense: Maya Fernández
Minister of Finance: Mario Marcel
Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency: Álvaro Elizalde
Minister General Secretariat of Government: Camila Vallejo
Minister of Economy: Nicolás Grau
Minister of Social Development: Giorgio Jackson
Minister of Education: Marco Antonio Ávila
Minister of Justice: Luis Cordero Vega
Minister of Labor and Social Provision: Jeannette Jara
Minister of Housing & Urbanism: Carlos Montes Cisternas
President of the Senate: Juan Antonio Coloma Correa
President of the Chamber of Deputies: Ricardo Cifuentes

Symbols of the President

Presidential Sash

President Patricio Aylwin (1990–1994) wearing the presidential sash.

The presidential sash is a special ribbon that symbolizes the president's authority. It was first used by Bernardo O'Higgins. It became an official symbol when President José Joaquín Prieto took office in 1831. The sash has three stripes with the colors of the Chilean flag. It is handmade and is about 75 cm (30 in) long and 13 cm (5 in) wide.

For many years, the same sash was passed from one president to the next. But in 1915, a new sash had to be made because the outgoing president, Ramón Barros Luco, and the new president, Juan Luis Sanfuentes, were different heights. Since then, each president has their own sash. They wear it only for important official events.

O'Higgins Pioche

The O'Higgins Pioche.

The O'Higgins Pioche is a small, red, five-pointed star. It is about 7 cm (3 in) across. This pin is considered a very important symbol of presidential power. It is worn at the bottom of the presidential sash.

The original pioche was lost during the 1973 coup d'état when the La Moneda palace was bombed. During the military government of Augusto Pinochet, a new pioche was made. It was created to look exactly like the original, based on old photographs. The pioche is only worn along with the presidential sash.

Official Presidential Vehicles

For many years, the president of Chile used an elegant horse-drawn carriage for special events. This carriage was brought from France by President José Manuel Balmaceda. However, President Salvador Allende decided to use a black 1966 Ford Galaxie XL convertible as his official car instead. He wanted to show a more modern image, not like royalty. This car was originally bought for Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Chile in 1968.

Both the carriage and the Ford Galaxie are now kept by the state. They are used only for very important official ceremonies. These include state visits, national holidays (May 21 and September 19), and presidential inaugurations on March 11 every four years.