Chile's presidential election Sunday could come down to a nerve-racking, vote-by-vote count after a late surge by former President Eduardo Frei made his race against billionaire Sebastian Pinera too close to predict, according to AP. Pinera led every poll until Frei and outgoing President Michelle Bachelet repeatedly invoked the legacy of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship, raising fears of a retreat on human rights if Pinera and his right-wing supporters regain the presidency. «On Sunday with pencil and paper we'll mark the future of Chile,» Frei said as he closed his campaign, invoking the catchphrase of the vote that ended the dictatorship decades ago. The theme shook up the well-organized campaign of Harvard-trained economist Pinera, which had focused on economic growth, jobs and change in a country led by the same group of center-left politicians for 20 years. Pinera said the government was spreading lies to frighten voters. With Frei and Pinera agreeing on most issues _ a reflection of the remarkable economic, social and political success that has given Bachelet nearly 80 percent approval ratings as she ends her five-year term _ human rights became the wild card. -- SPA
