Factbox: Chile presidential underdog Longueira's policy proposals
Factbox: Chile presidential underdog Longueira's policy proposals
Reuters
10:05 p.m. EDT, June 30, 2013
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Veteran politician Pablo Longueira won his weakened right-wing bloc's primary election on Sunday, but the former economy minister faces an uphill battle to defeat presidential favorite Michelle Bachelet in November.
Longueira, an industrial civil engineer by training, has said he wants to continue the policies of conservative President Sebastian Pinera, who is barred from seeking a second consecutive term in office.
Analysts say Longueira's candidacy has been hurt by his involvement in Augusto Pinochet's brutal 1973-1990 dictatorship, during which about 3,000 people are thought to have been killed. Longueira rose to become a Housing Ministry advisor under Pinochet, whose daughter has said her father "doted on" Longueira.
Longueira's 21 percent approval rating paled in comparison with the 75 percent that Bachelet captured in a survey conducted by pollster CEP between November and December, which was the most recent such poll.
More:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/nationworld/sns-rt-us-chile-primaries-longueira-20130630,0,3443537.story
