| Subject: 155-161 |
Author:
Vidya Kadiyam
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Date Posted: 13:55:11 05/21/02 Tue
Chilean plebiscite of 1989: Plebsicite held in which voters had an opportunity to reject another "presidential" term for Pinochet. 55% of the voters rejected the prospect of eight more years of military rule. As a result, competitive presidential and legislative elections were scheduled for that year.
Chilean Constitution of 1980: Constitution approved by two-thirds of voters in a plebiscite organized by the military government, still contains several authoritarian enclaves. Armed forces given supervisory role, high proportion of institutional senators, extremely large legislative majorities required to reform constitution, and binomial electoral system that makes it very difficult for any coalition to gain a significant majority (2/3) in Congress. Congress designed to be weak, barred from initiating legislation on items requiring budget.
Coalition for the "No": Before the 1989 plebiscite, the opposition (17 center and leftist political parties and groups- including PDC, PS, PPD, and PR) to Pinochet organized a coalition called Concertacion por el No. The cooperated and campaigned on a platform of democracy. They were able to mobilize enough support among the population to win the plebiscite.
malapportionment: Discrepancy between the share of legislative seats and the shares of population held by geographical units. Not a one person, one vote principle. [will add more]
proportional representation: A voting system that assures that the overall results are proportional to the votes. [will add more]
binomial electoral system: Electoral system incorpor by Chile's 1980 military-era constitution to discourage small party proliferation. Each district elects 2 representatives, but a coalition has to win double its rivals' votes to take both seats. For example, a party receiving only 33% of the votes can share power in two-seat constitutencies with parties receiving as much as 66%. Distorts popular will and resulted in pro-Pinochet forces retaining their veto over constitutional reforms.
Manuel Contreras: Military officer who two months after the Sept. 1973 military coup, set up the Directorate of National Intelligence, DINA- the Chilean secret police. Mastermind of the torture and "disappearings" carried out by this agency. Convicted for crimes committed while serving under the military dictatorship- in particular, the assassination in Washington, D.C. of Orlando Letelier, former minister in Allende's cabinet. Made clear that his actions were carried out under the authority of his boss, Augusto Pinochet.
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