Alvear Drops Out

Former foreign minister Soledad Alvear dropped out of Chile’s presidential contest and threw her weight behind Michelle Bachelet, the former defense minister and current frontrunner. Both women are from the center-left Concertacion coalition, which has governed Chile since the country’s return to democracy in 1990. Bachelet now faces ex-mayor of Santiago Joaquin Lavin and businessman Sebastian Pinera, who are vying to be the conservative Alianza por Chile’s presidential nominee. The election will be in December.