Primary Elections for Mayors and Regional Governors
Date
This is a movable holiday that depends on the electoral calendar. Primaries are held on the twentieth Sunday before the municipal and regional election. For 2028 they are scheduled for Sunday, June 11, 2028, although it is not yet determined whether they will take place or in which communes or regions, since that depends on parties or pacts registering candidates.Historical Background
Primary elections are a mechanism that allows political parties or electoral pacts to choose their single candidates for the general elections. In municipal and regional primaries, the nominees for mayor and regional governor are chosen.Legal, binding primaries were introduced in Chile in 2012 to strengthen internal party democracy and open candidate selection to citizens. With the creation of the elected regional governor office, primaries were also extended to that position, which was first elected in 2021.
Enactment as a Holiday
The primary system is regulated by Ley N° 20.640, which establishes the Primary Election System for nominating candidates for President of the Republic, members of Congress, regional governors and mayors. Article 169 of Ley N° 18.700, the Constitutional Organic Law on Popular Voting and Vote Counting, declares a legal holiday on any day when elections or plebiscites are held, which includes primaries.Since primaries are not always held nationwide, the holiday only applies in the areas where voting actually takes place.
Description of the Day
If they take place, eligible citizens go to their usual polling stations that Sunday to choose among the pre-candidates registered by the parties or pacts. Turnout is usually lower than in general elections, but the result defines the October ballot in each commune and region.Once the polls close, SERVEL publishes preliminary results and the media cover the count throughout the afternoon and evening.
Important Facts and Curiosities
• To Be Confirmed: Whether these primaries take place depends on parties or pacts registering them. If none is registered in your commune or region, there will be no vote and no holiday there.• Non-Waivable Holiday: Where voting takes place, it is a non-waivable holiday for retail workers, with the same exceptions that apply on other election holidays.
• Voluntary Voting: Participation in primaries is voluntary. Depending on what each pact decides, only party members or also independents may vote.
• Dry Law: During the day, the sale and consumption of alcohol is prohibited during the hours set by electoral law.
Primary Elections for Mayors and Regional Governors dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2028 | Upcoming |
Legal sources
Laws that establish this holiday, on LeyChile (Library of the National Congress of Chile):
Last checked: November 13, 2026.
