The Chilean Elections of 1989 and the Politics of the Transition to Democracy

Abstract

The elections held in Chile on 14 December 1989 to choose a President and Congress were surely one ofthe most remarkable ways in which a democratic government has replaced an authoritarian regime. Less than two years before the election, President Pinochet enjoyed virtually unchallenged authority, while the opposition was in disarray. The economy had recovered from the slump of 1982-1983, and in comparison with most other economies in Latin America, the Chilean one was a success story. Why did Pinochet allow free elections, and accept the result? In a sense, Pinochet was the victim of his own cunning. Chile is a very constitutionally minded country. Pinochet accepted this tradition, and sought to legitimise his own government when in 1980 he presented a new constitution to the electorate for ratification in a plebiscite. The plebiscite was far from a perfect test of opinion, for there were no electoral registers, the opposition was barely able to campaign, and there was widespread suspicion of fraud. Nevertheless, the constitution was ratified in the plebiscite, and became the cornerstone of the government's claim to legitimacy. One of the pro visions of that constitution was that a single candidate would be chosen by the legislative junta (consisting of the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces) to be elected for an eight-year term of office. If that candidate were to be rejected, then there would be a free and competitive election for the presidency one year later. At the time ofthe ratification ofthe Constitution in 1980, this looked like a thinly disguised veil for a further eight years for Pinochet. But things went wrong. The economic collapse of 1982 led to massive social protests. At last the opposition parties, after several false starts, began to form a convincing coalition. Finally, the commanders-inchief of the air force, the police, and the navy made it clear that they would prefer a civilian candidate to Pinochet. However, Pinochet was able to impose himself as the single candidate of the regime, and offered himself for an eight-year presidency in a plebiscite in October 1988. He expected to win, but a briUiant opposition campaign and a lacklustre government campaign led to a decisive rejection of the General by