A presidential election was held in Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

 on February 2, 1942. Juan Antonio Ríos

Juan Antonio Ríos

Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...

 was a member of the conservative wing of the Radical Party and defeated General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...

, portraying himself as a conservative anti-fascist candidate. He obtained 55,95% of the votes and took office on April 2, 1942.

Background

In 1941, due to his rapidly escalating illness, President Pedro Aguirre Cerda

Pedro Aguirre Cerda

Pedro Aguirre Cerda was a Chilean political figure. A member of the Radical Party, he was chosen as the Popular Front's candidate for the 1938 presidential election, and was triumphally elected. He governed Chile until his death in 1941...

 appointed his minister of the Interior, Jerónimo Méndez

Jerónimo Méndez

Jerónimo Méndez Arancibia was a Chilean politician who served as provisional president.He was born in Chañaral, where he completed his secondary studies. In 1914 he graduated as an MD from the Universidad de Chile. President Pedro Aguirre Cerda appointed him Minister of the Interior...

 as vice-president and died soon after, on November 25, 1941. President Aguirre Cerda's two natural successors were Juan Antonio Ríos

Juan Antonio Ríos

Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...

 and Gabriel González Videla

Gabriel González Videla

Gabriel González Videla was a Chilean politician. He was a deputy and senator in the Chilean Congress and was President of Chile from 1946 to 1952...

, both members of his Radical Party

Radical Party (Chile)

The Radical Party of Chile was a Chilean political party. It was formed in 1863 by a split in the Liberal Party. Not coincidently, it was formed shortly after the organization of the Grand Lodge of Chile, and it has maintained a close relationship with Chilean Freemasonry throughout its life...

, while the right-wings' coalition was united by a common candidate, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

Carlos Ibáñez del Campo

General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...

, who had the support of Chile's Conservative party

Conservative Party (Chile)

The Conservative Party of Chile was one of the principal Chilean political parties since its foundation in 1836 until 1949, when it broke apart. In 1953 it reformed as the United Conservative Party and in 1966 joined with the Liberal Party to form the National Party...

, Liberal Party

Liberal Party (Chile)

The Liberal Party of Chile was a Chilean political party created by a faction of pipiolos in 1849. After the conservative victory in the Chilean Civil War of 1829 the liberals became the principal opposition party to the Conservative Party...

, National Socialist party, Popular Socialist Vanguard

Vanguardia Popular Socialista

The Vanguardia Popular Socialista was a Chilean political party created in 1938. It was the direct heir of the National Socialist Movement of Chile and founded as a consequence of the failed fascist coup in 1938 and its repression. It included Jorge González von Marées and Miguel Serrano, while...

 and the majority of the independents.

Ríos started to campaign early but two days before the internal primaries of his party, Gabriel González Videla (who was the ambassador to Brazil) returned to Chile to dispute him the nomination. The results were too close to call, so a tribunal of honor (electoral commission) was constituted, and Juan Antonio Ríos was finally proclaimed the candidate of a left-wings' coalition of parties. This Democratic Alliance

Democratic Alliance (Chile)

The Democratic Alliance of Chile was a coalition of left-wing parties from 1941 to 1946, which succeeded to the Popular Front headed by Pedro Aguirre Cerda's government...

  was formed by the Radical Party

Radical Party (Chile)

The Radical Party of Chile was a Chilean political party. It was formed in 1863 by a split in the Liberal Party. Not coincidently, it was formed shortly after the organization of the Grand Lodge of Chile, and it has maintained a close relationship with Chilean Freemasonry throughout its life...

, the Socialist Party

Socialist Party of Chile

The Socialist Party of Chile is a political party, that is part of the center-left Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. Its historical leader was the late President of Chile Salvador Allende Gossens, who was deposed by General Pinochet in 1973...

, the Communist Party, the Democratic Party and the Workers' Socialist Party.

Results

Candidate	Party/Coalition	Votes	%
Juan Antonio Ríos Morales Juan Antonio Ríos Juan Antonio Ríos Morales was a Chilean political figure, and President of Chile from 1942 to 1946, during the height of World War II. He died in office.-Early life:...	Democratic Alliance	260,034	55.95
Carlos Ibáñez del Campo Carlos Ibáñez del Campo General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo was a Chilean Army officer and political figure. He served as dictator between 1927 and 1931 and as constitutional President from 1952 to 1958.- The coups of 1924 and 1925 :...	Liberal/Conservative	204,635	44.03
disperse		124	0.03
blanks/nulls		1,714
Total valid votes		464,793	100.00

Source: Presidential Election 1942