Primary elections nature

Authors

  • María Pía Silva Gallinato Universidad Católica de Chile

Abstract

The article tries to determine the real character of the primary elections, made by political parties or political conglomerates to nominate their candidates for popular elected political appointments, considering that, with the liberty that the Constitution guarantees them, those elections are a tool that political parties can use to fulfill their unique goals. For this purpose, the Constitutional Court is criticized for a sentence that considered this elections as popular elections, and highlights the way the constituent has refereed them through the Law Nº 20.414, and a decision of the Tribunal Calificador de Elecciones that is analysed, all which it contributes to clarify the real nature of the primary elections.

Keywords:

Primary elections, Political parties, Democracy inside the political parties