In uncertain times, Chileans vote with ballots and wallets
ABC News
Chileans are voting for president Sunday with a mix of dread, optimism and above all uncertainty about what lies ahead after a wave of social and political unrest that includes the current effort to rewrite the constitution
SANTIAGO, Chile -- Miguel Torres is the archetype of what might be called the Chilean dream.
A college dropout, he nonetheless rose above his working class roots thanks to decades of economic stability and Asian Tiger-like growth to build a successful career as the owner of a small outdoor advertising business.
But in the runup to Sunday's presidential election, the 68-year-old has been attempting the previously unthinkable: to sell the spacious home he built with a lifetime of hard work. While he doesn't have any offers, if he is lucky enough to find a buyer he plans to stash the proceeds abroad and downsize.
“I’m too old to leave the country,” he says, surveying the pool and giant camellia trees that adorn his home in the tony Los Condes neighborhood of Santiago, the capital. “But I’m not going to leave what little money I have here.”