Center-left candidate Michelle Bachelet is the favourite to win tomorrow's Chilean presidential election. Bachelet is the New Majority coalition candidate (which includes the Socialist Party, the Communist Party and the Christian Democratic Party, among others), and according to opinion polls enjoys a wide margin over the candidate of the right, Evelyn Matthei. However, it is unclear whether Bachelet (who was Chile's President between 2006 and 2010) will already claim victory in the first round or, otherwise, she will need until December 15th, in the second round of voting. If a second round is needed, Bachelet is likely to face Matthei, unless one of another two candidates who are slightly increasing their share of vote in opinion polls avoids this: independent Franco Parisi and Progressive Party candidate Marco Enríquez-Ominami.

Bachelet intends to implement deep political changes in Chile. A major one is the drafting of a new Constitution, which according to Bachelet's programme,  should deepen democratic practices and respect for human rights. Centre-right parties want thus to put an end to constitutional traits inherited from the time of Pinochet dictatorship.

One aspect that would prove a major change if compared to the current Constitution is the proposed recognition of autochtonous peoples. According to Bachelet's programme on this, Chile needs to "settle the historical debt it has with its indigenous peoples". This should lead to establishing that "the [Chilean] state shall protect, promote and ensure individual and collective rights of indigenous peoples". This should be pursued in the context of a nation which is "indivisible, plural and pluricultural".

According to the 2012 Chilean Census, 11% of the population declared to be members of autochtonous peoples. Out of these, the Mapuche (1.5 million) make up about 10% of the country's population. A further 300,000 people declared themselves to be members of other indigenous peoples (Rapanui, Quechua, Aymara and others).

Organizations of indigenous peoples have claimed for decades that their rights be recognized. So far, no Chilean presidency -either rightist or leftist- has advanced towards their constitutional recognition.

The Chilean Constitution gives the president the authority to initiate a constitutional amendment, which requires a three-fifths majority in Congress and Senate (and, in some chapters, a two-thirds majority) in order to be passed. For this matter, the balance of power that comes out of the parliamentary election -which is also held tomorrow- will be critical.