Abstract

Since first held in post-dictatorship Chile in 1992, municipal elections have consolidated as an essential component of Chilean democracy. In this article we assess whether decentralization in Chile has helped redefine and re-articulate political practices and if the party system has reproduced the existing patterns at the local level. We evaluate three scenarios. First, if the behavior of voters in local elections is similar to their behavior in legislative elections. Second, if municipal election results are independent of national political processes. Third, if the average tenure of mayors and their reelection rates are similar to those of deputies. We conclude by suggesting that the development of local institutions have tended to reproduce the practices and characteristics of the national political system rather than to redefine the balance of power between the executive and legislative bodies, or to allow the emergence of new patterns in the political careers of democratically elected representatives.