Chile

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The National Plebiscite of 1980 in Chile was a referendum held on September 11, 1980 in order to approve the 1980 Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile as a replacement for Chile's 1925 constitution. The result was 4,204,897 (67.04%) votes in favor and 1,893,420 (30.19%) votes against ratification. This plebiscite has been, and continues to be, questioned regarding irregularities in its management. Flag of the President of Chile The President of Chile is both the chief of state and the head of government. ... Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (born September 29, 1951) is the current President of Chile, the first woman to hold this position in the countrys history. ... Congress building The National Congress (Spanish: Congreso Nacional) is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile. ... Chile Congress building The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chiles bicameral Congress, as established in the current constitution. ... Congress building The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile (Spanish: Cámara de Diputados) is the lower house of Chiles bicameral Congress. ... Politics of Chile Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1970 - 1989 - 2005 A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ... Elections in Chile gives information on election and election results in Chile. ... Chilean presidential candidates: (left to right/top to bottom) Michelle Bachelet, Tomás Hirsch, Joaquín Lavín, Sebastián Piñera A presidential election took place in Chile on Sunday, December 11, 2005. ... The 2005 Chilean parliamentary election took place on December 11, 2005, in conjunction with the presidential election. ... Chile is divided into thirteen regions (in Spanish, regiones; singular región), each of which is headed by an intendant (intendente), appointed by the president. ... Chile is divided into thirteen regions, each of which is headed by an intendant (intendente). ... Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has been an active participant in the international political arena. ... This is the history of Chile. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... September 11 is the 254th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (255th in leap years). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Chiles current constitution, approved by a referendum in the year 1980, replaced the earlier constitution from 1925. ...

This election made way for the military regime of Augusto Pinochet, solidifying his position as President of the Republic (with increased powers) for 8 years, when he would face a yes-or-no reelection plebiscite. Further plebiscites, beginning in 1989 with Pinochet's loss of power, and most recently in 2005, have acted to make the constitution more democratic in the aftermath of Pinochet. General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. ...

Plebiscite

Original ballot

In the election, Chileans older than 18 years of age (including the illiterate and blind) and foreigners with legal residence in Chile older than 18 years of age who could prove their proper immigration status, were allowed to vote. Participation was obligatory, except for those who were physically or mentally impaired, or imprisoned.

In order to vote, the only document required was a certificate of identity issued by the Civil and Identification Registry Service.

Results

The results supplied by the Colegio Escrutador Nacional (National Election Observer Association) were as follows.

1. ^ Percent of the total votes cast.
2. ^ The blank votes were counted in favor of the "Yes" option.

New constitution

1980 constitution

In its original permanent dispositions, the new 1980 constitution gave the position of President of the Republic, held by Pinochet, a large amount of power. It created some new institutions, such as the Constitutional Tribunal and the controversial National Security Council (COSENA). In its temporary dispositions, the document ordered the transition from the former military government, with Augusto Pinochet as President of the Republic, and the Legislative Power of the Military Junta (formed by the heads of the Navy, Air Force, National Police, and a representative of the Army, the head of the Army being president of the republic), to a civil one, with a time frame of eight years, during which the Legislative Power would still be the Military Junta. It set the first eight year presidential term for Pinochet, with a plebiscite in the eighth year, in which only one candidate, nominated by the Junta, would be up for acceptance. General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990. ... In modern usage, junta (pronounced as in Spanish HUN-ta or HOON-ta) typically refers to a military dictatorship, especially in Latin America, which is officially run by a committee of high-ranking military officers. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... // History The first step towards the current FACh was taken by Teniente Coronel Pedro Pablo Dartnell when he founded the Servició de Aviación Militar de Chile on 20 December 1910 being trained as a pilot in France. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people who do not base their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people of that state or country. ... A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...

The candidate, as expected, was Pinochet himself. While the steps to follow in the case of a triumph of the "yes" option, which the document clearly anticipated, were clearly delineated, the steps for the "no" triumph were less so, but still clear enough that no serious doubt emerged when the "no" option actually was victorious in the 1988 plebiscite. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Some of the 1980 constitution's original dispositions, such as the presidential power of dissolving the Lower Chamber of Congress and serving eight year terms with possibility of reelection, were modified or eliminated after 1990, when the country regained its democracy and the Congress was reestablished. A lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. ... This article is about the year. ...

Consequences

Pinochet as president

The results of the plebiscite approved the Constitution of 1980. However, the given results were objected to by the political opposition, headed by the ex-senator Patricio Aylwin and more than 46 others, arguing that this result did not tally with electoral records. One objection was that voters were only marked by ink on the thumb, which came off rapidly, making electoral fraud easy. These criticisms were rejected by the Scrutiny Association, and the Constitution was promulgated on October 21, 1980. Download high resolution version (600x650, 67 KB)Subject: Dictator of Chile Augusto Pinochet Source: University of Chile [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... Download high resolution version (600x650, 67 KB)Subject: Dictator of Chile Augusto Pinochet Source: University of Chile [1] This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... October 21 is the 294th day of the year (295th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 71 days remaining. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ...

The new constitution took effect on March 11, 1981. On this date a transition period of eight years began, during which General Pinochet, acting as President of the Republic and the Military Regime (Junta), exercised constituent and legislative power. March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in Leap year). ... 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

• Nazer A., Ricardo y Rosemblit B., Jaime (2000). "Electores, sufragio y democracia en Chile: una mirada histórica".
• Silva Bascuñán, Alejandro (1997). Tratado de Derecho Constitucional. Tomo I: La Constitución de 1980. Antecedentes y génesis.. ISBN 9561011786.
• Decree 3465 of August 8, 1980, Interior Ministry of Chile.
• Brief review of Chile's constitutional history - Chile's Library of Congress (in Spanish)

External links

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Constitution of Chile (in Spanish)

• Official translation of the original 1980 Constitution (PDF file)
• Text of Chilean constitutions - Library of Congress of Chile (Spanish original)