At 4 p.m. on Saturday, November 18, the overseas presidential elections began. Due to the change of time zone, the first table to be constituted was located in the city of Wellington, New Zealand, which marked a milestone in the history of our country.
From the Operation Center installed in the OHiggins Hall of the Chancellery, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Heraldo Muñoz, accompanied by the President of Servel's Board of Directors, Patricio Santamaría, and the Director General of Consular Affairs and Immigration, Ambassador Carlos Appelgren, contacted the Consul of Chile in that city, Marco Martinez, to witness the first presidential vote in the world.
"This is a milestone for Chilean democracy. We are very excited because it has been many years in which the Chilean communities have been demanding what has finally materialized today: to be able to exercise the citizen's right to vote for a President of the Republic, regardless of their place of residence", said the Chancellor.
From Wellington, the Consul highlighted the census of 522 voters, twice as many as those who participated in the primaries, "which demonstrates the enthusiasm and interest on the part of Chileans living in this country to participate in this very special and longed-for day".
The first Chilean to vote was Sandra Sandoval, a native of Dichato who has been living in the city for 26 years.
The next tables to open are Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra, in Australia and overnight the tables are expected to be set up in Asian, African and European countries. The last tables to open will be in the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle, in the United States.
The vote of Chileans abroad will take place in 62 countries (seven more than in the primaries), 110 constituencies and 162 tables.