1964 Chilean presidential election

1964 Chilean presidential election

4 September 1964

File:Eduardo Frei Montalva headshot.jpg File:Salvador Allende Gossens.jpg Nominee Eduardo Frei Montalva Salvador Allende Party Christian Democratic Socialist Alliance Popular Action Front Popular vote 1,409,012 977,902 Percentage 56.09% 38.93%

President before election Jorge Alessandri Independent Elected President Eduardo Frei Montalva Christian Democratic

Presidential elections were held in Chile on 4 September 1964. The result was a victory for Eduardo Frei Montalva of the Christian Democratic Party, who received 56% of the vote.

Electoral system

The elections were held using the absolute majority system, under which a candidate had to receive over 50% of the popular vote to be elected. If no candidate received over 50% of the vote, both houses of the National Congress would come together to vote on the two candidates who received the most votes.

Campaign

The Church Committee of the US Senate revealed in 1975 that the Central Intelligence Agency interfered substantially with the election to prevent the accession of marxist Salvador Allende. The CIA secretly funded more than half of Frei's campaign and supported an array of pro-Christian Democratic groups. Two other political parties were funded as well in an attempt to spread the vote. The CIA's assistance to Frei took the form of polling, voter registration and get out the vote drives, in addition to covert propaganda.

The US was countering the influence of the Soviet Union, who supported Allende with $50,000 to $400,000 every year between 1960 and 1969. In total the CIA spent $3 million in the 1964 elections, more money than Lyndon B. Johnson spent on his 1964 presidential campaign.