The Chilean transition to democracy (colloquially known in Chile as the Transición) began in 1988, with Augusto Pinochet's defeat in the October 5, 1988 plebiscite. The 1980 Constitution, still in force today, was amended to ease provisions for future amendments to the constitution, create more seats in the senate, diminish the role of the National Security Council and equalize the number of civilian and military members (four members each). Many among Chile's political class consider these and other provisions as "authoritarian enclaves" of the constitution and have pressed for reform. Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte[1] (November 25, 1915–December 10, 2006) was a general and President of Chile. ...

The 1988 plebiscite and the reform of the Constitution

Voted under tight-control by the military in 1980, the Constitution of Chile legal dispositions were supposed to lead to the convocation of all citizens to a plebiscite during which the Chilean people would ratify a candidate, proposed by the Chief of Staff of the Chilean Armed Forces and by the General Director of the Carabineros, the national police force, and who would become the President of Chile for an 8 years term. In 1980, this meant that the Chilean people was supposed to plebiscite Augusto Pinochet, assuring him popular legitimacy and the sanction of a vote. In case of a refusal by the people of the junta chosen candidate, the militaries would relinquish political control to the civilians, convoking the following year presidential and parliamentary democratic elections, and thus putting an end to the dictatorship. However, Pinochet suspended this procedure, supposed to legalize and ratify the September 11, 1973 coup against Socialist President Salvador Allende, democratically elected as representant of the Popular Unity coalition during the 1970 presidential election. Thus, when Pinochet's government passed in 1987 a law allowing the creation of political parties and another law allowing the opening of national registers of voters, it opened up the way to the reprisal of the procedure envisioned by the 1980 Constitution. If the majority of the people voted "yes" to Pinochet's plebiscite, he would have remained in power for the next eight years, maintaining military control over the country. Chiles current constitution, approved by a referendum in the year 1980, replaced the earlier constitution from 1925. ... 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. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... The Carabineros de Chile (Carabiniers of Chile) are the uniformed Chilean national police force, created on April 27, 1927. ... Flag of the President of Chile The President of Chile is both the chief of state and the head of government. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Voting is a method of decision making wherein a group such as a meeting or an electorate attempts to gauge its opinion—usually as a final step following discussions or debates. ... Augusto Pinochet (sitting) was an army general who led a military coup in Chile in 1973. ... Democracy (literally rule by the people, from the Greek demos, people, and kratos, rule[1]) is a form of government. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A dictatorship is an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by a dictator. ... Prisoners outside the La Moneda Palace after their surrender during the coup (1973). ... Salvador Isabelino del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Allende Gossens[1] (July 26, 1908 – September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from November 1970 until his death on September 11, 1973. ... Peoples Unity, or Popular Unity (Spanish: Unidad Popular or UP) was the coalition of Chilean political parties that coalesced behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election. ... Politics of Chile President of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: Presidential: 1925 - 1927 - 1931 - 1932 - 1938 - 1941 - 1946 - 1952 - 1958 - 1964 - 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ...

Context and causes of Pinochet's decision to call for elections

Among various causes to Pinochet's decision to resume this procedure, the situation in the Soviet Union, where Mikhail Gorbachev had initiated the glasnost and the perestroika democratic reforms, which would finally lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and to the official end of the Cold War, is clearly an important factor. The Cold War had important consequences in South America, considered by the United States to be a full part of the Western Bloc, called "free world", in contrast with the Eastern Bloc, a division born with the end of World War II and the Yalta Conference. Following the 1959 Cuban Revolution and the local implementation in several countries of Che Guevara's foco theory, the US waged a war in South America against the "Communists subversives," leading to support in Chile of the right-wing, which would culminate with Pinochet's coup in 1973 in Chile. In a few years, all of South America was covered by similar military dictatorships, called juntas. In Paraguay, Alfredo Stroessner was in power since 1954; in Brazil, left-wing President João Goulart was overthrow by a military coup in 1964; in Bolivia, General Hugo Banzer overthrew leftist General Juan José Torres in 1971; in Uruguay, considered the "Switzerland" of South America, Juan María Bordaberry seized power in the June 27, 1973 coup. A "Dirty War" was waged all over the continent, culminating with Operation Condor, an agreement between security services of the Southern Cone and other South American countries to repress and assassinate political opponents. Militaries also took power in Argentina in 1976, and then supported the 1980 "Cocaine Coup" of Luis García Meza Tejada in Bolivia, before training the Contras in Nicaragua where the Sandinista National Liberation Front, headed by Daniel Ortega, had taken power in 1979, as well as militaries in Guatemala and in El Salvador. In the 1980s, however, the situation progressively evolved in the world as in South America, despite a renewal of the Cold War from 1979 to 1985, the year during which Gorbatchev replaced Konstantin Chernenko as leader of the USSR. Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (Russian: , Michail Sergeevič Gorbačëv), IPA: , surname more accurately romanized as Gorbachyov; born March 2, 1931) is a Russian politician. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... East German construction workers building the Berlin Wall, 20 November 1961. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The United States have always had a special conception of their relationship toward countries of South and Central America. ... The Free World is a Cold War-era term used by non-communist nations to describe themselves. ... A map of the Eastern Bloc. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Big Three at the Yalta Conference, Winston Churchill, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin. ... The Cuban Revolution refers to the revolutionary war in Cuba culminating in the overthrow of Fulgencio Batista’s government on January 1, 1959 by the 26th of July Movement and other revolutionary elements in the country. ... Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (June 14,[1] 1928 – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara or El Che, was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, political figure, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. ... Guevara teaching guerrilla tactics to Congolese forces. ... This article is about communism as a form of society, as an ideology advocating that form of society, and as a popular movement. ... Meeting between General A. Pinochet and US Secretary of State H. Kissinger (1974). ... A military junta is government by a committee of military leaders. ... Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda, whos name is also spelled Stroessner, Strössner or Strößner, (November 3, 1912, Encarnación - August 16, 2006, Brasilia) served as President of Paraguay from 1954 to 1989. ... João Belchior Marques Goulart (March 1, 1918—December 6, 1976) was the last left-wing president of Brazil (1961–March 31, 1964) The surname Goulart is of Azorean-Flemish origin. ... Hugo Banzer Suárez (May 10, 1926 – May 5, 2002) was a conservative politician, military general, and dictator from Bolivia. ... Juan Jose Torres Gonzales (1921— 1976) was a Bolivian socialist politician and military leader. ... Juan María Bordaberry is a Uruguayan statesman, who served as President from 1972 to 1976, when he was ousted in a military coup. ... Poster by the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo NGO with photos of disappeared. This article especially refers to the Argentine dirty war; however, the term has been used in other contexts, for example in Turkey; see also lead years Dirty War (in Spanish: ) refers to the state-sponsored violence... For other uses of Operation Condor, please see Operation Condor (disambiguation) Participating countries of the Operation Condor; in pink those with partial participation (i. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Luis García Meza Tejada (b. ... The Contras (from the Spanish term La Contra, short for movement of the contrarrevolucionarios) were the armed opponents of Nicaraguas FSLN (Frente Sandinista de Liberacion Nacional) Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle (which ended the Somoza dynasty), and continuing throughout the... This article is about the Nicaraguan left-wing political party. ... José Daniel Ortega Saavedra (born 11 November 1945) is the current President of Nicaragua. ... This does not cite its references or sources. ... The Cold War (1979-1985) discusses the period within the Cold War between the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev as Soviet leader in 1985. ... The Cold War (1985-1991) discusses the period within the Cold War between the rise of Mikhail Gorbachev as Soviet leader in 1985 to the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. ... Konstantin Ustinovich Chernenko (Russian: ; September 24, 1911 – March 10, 1985) was a Soviet politician and General Secretary of the CPSU who led the Soviet Union from February 13, 1984 until his death just thirteen months later. ...

Another alleged reason of Pinochet's decision to call for elections was the April 1987 visit of Pope John Paul II to Chile, during which he visited Santiago, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Temuco, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt and Antofagasta. According to George Weigel, he held a meeting with Pinochet during which they treated of the theme of the return to democracy. John Paul II would have allegedly pushed Pinochet to accept a democratic opening of the regime, and would even have called for his resignation ^[1]. This has been contested however by critics, who claimed John Paul II never said a word concerning human right violations in Chile during his visit. The Polish Pope was a known opponent to Communism, and during the Vatican had previously harshly condemned the Liberation theology, by the voice of Cardinal Ratzinger (current Pope Benedict XVI), then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Coat of Arms of Pope John Paul II. The Letter M is for Mary, the mother of Jesus, to whom he held strong devotion Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), (Italian: Giovanni Paolo II), born   [] (May 18, 1920, Wadowice, Poland – April 2, 2005, Vatican City) reigned as Pope of the Catholic... Satellite image of Santiago Santiago (full form Santiago de Chile) is the capital of Chile. ... Coast of Viña del Mar Viña del Mar (Vineyard by the Sea in Spanish), also known locally as La Ciudad Jardín (Garden City in Spanish), is a thriving coastal city in central Chile, in the Valparaíso Region. ... Port of Valparaíso, Chile Valparaíso is an important Chilean seaport and an increasingly vital cultural center. ... Temuco Temuco, which in the mapudungun language means temu water, herbal tree used by Mapuches to cure diseases, is the capital of the IX región (la Araucanía), Chile, and is located 670kms south of Santiago. ... City of Punta Arenas Punta Arenas in Tierra del Fuego Sunrise view of the Strait of magellan Punta Arenas is the main city on the Strait of Magellan and the capital of the Región de Magallanes y la Antártica Chilena, Chile, and depending on the definition of city... Puerto Montt Puerto Montt is a port city in southern Chile, located by the Reloncaví Sound, and is the capital of the Llanquihue Province and the Los Lagos Region, at . ... Antofagasta is bordered by the Pacific Ocean on the west and steep hills to the east Street in Antofagasta   () is a port city and episcopal see in northern Chile, about 700 miles north of Santiago. ... George Weigel (Baltimore, 1951 - ) is an American conservative author, Roman Catholic theologian and political and social activist. ... Liberation theology is a school of theology that focuses on Jesus Christ as not only the Redeemer but also the Liberator of the Oppressed. ... Pope John Paul II with Cardinal Ratzinger in 1978. ... The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) (Congregatio pro Doctrina Fidei) is the oldest of the nine congregations of the Roman Curia. ...

Whatever the case, political advertisement was legalized on September 5, 1987, and became a key element of the campaign for the "NO" to the referendum, which countered the official campaign which presaged a return to a Popular Unity government in case of a defeat of Pinochet. Finally, the "NO" to Pinochet won with 55,99% of the votes, against 44,1% of the votes. Pinochet, who, according to several informations, would have thought in not recognizing the results, finally decided to admit them and to continue with the Constitutional process. Thus presidential and legislative elections were called for the next year, while another plebiscite held in 1989 approved by 91,25% Constitutional reforms.

The Concertación: election of Patricio Aylwin

Representing the Concertación coalition which supported the return to democracy, gathering the Christian Democrat Party (PDC), the Socialist Party (PS), the Party for Democracy (PPD) and the Social Democrat Radical Party (PRSD), Christian Democrat Patricio Aylwin won a sweeping victory in the first democratic elections, in December 1989, since the 1970 election won by Salvador Allende. Patricio Aylwin had gathered around him 3,850,023 votes (55.17%), while the center-right supermarket tycoon Francisco Javier Errázuriz, who represented the UCCP party, managed to take 15.05% of the vote, which had as main effects to lower right-wing candidate Hernán Büchi's score to 29.40% (approximatively 2 millions votes, almost half than Patricio Aylwin). Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1925 - 1927 - 1931 - 1932 - 1938 - 1941 - 1946 - 1952 - 1958 - 1964 - 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 The Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia (Spanish Coalition of Parties for Democracy) is an alliance of center-left political parties in Chile. ... The Christian Democrat Party of Chile (Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile) is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. ... The Socialist Party of Chile (Spanish: Partido Socialista de Chile or PS) is a political party in Chile, and part of the ruling Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. ... The Party for Democracy is a governing political party in Chile. ... Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 The Social Democrat Radical Party (Partido Radical Socialdemócrata) is a social democratic, left wing and liberal party in Chile. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article may require cleanup. ... Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 A presidential election was held in Chile on 14 December 1989. ... Politics of Chile President of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: Presidential: 1925 - 1927 - 1931 - 1932 - 1938 - 1941 - 1946 - 1952 - 1958 - 1964 - 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. ... Salvador Isabelino del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús Allende Gossens[1] (July 26, 1908 – September 11, 1973) was President of Chile from November 1970 until his death on September 11, 1973. ... Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera (b. ...

The Concertación coalition would dominate Chilean politics for the next two decades, with its most recent victory being the 2006 election of Socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet. It established in February 1991 the National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation, which released in February 1991 the Rettig Report on human rights violations during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship. This report, contested by human rights NGOs and associations of political prisonners, counted 2,279 cases of "disappearances" which could be proved and registered. Of course, the very nature of "disappearances" made such investigations very difficult, while many victims were still intimidated by the authorities, and did not dare go to the local police center register themselves on lists, since the police officers were the same than during the dictatorship. The same problem arose, several years later, for the Valech Report, released in 2004 and which counted almost 30,000 victims of torture, among testimonies from 35,000 persons. However, the Rettig Report did list important detention and torture centers, such as the Esmeralda ship, the Víctor Jara Stadium, Villa Grimaldi, etc. The registering of victims of the dictatorship, and then, in the 2000s, trials of militaries guilty of human right violations, would dominate the struggle for the recognition of crimes committed during the dictatorship by human rights NGOs and associations of political prisonners, whom many resided in exile. Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (born September 29, 1951) is a center-left politician and the current President of Chile—the first woman to hold this position in the countrys history. ... The Rettig Report, officially The National Commission for Truth and Reconciliation Report, is a report encompassing human rights abuses resulting in death or disappearance committed in Chile during the years of military rule under Augusto Pinochet, which began on September 11, 1973 and ended on March 11, 1990. ... Disappear redirects here. ... Monsignor Valech delivers the report to President Lagos The Valech Report (officially The National Commission on Political Imprisonment and Torture Report) was a study published on November 29, 2004 that detailed abuses committed in Chile between 1973 and 1990 by agents of Augusto Pinochets military regime. ... Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he... Esmeralda (BE-43) Esmeralda (BE-43) is a steel-hulled four-masted barquentine tall ship of the Chilean Navy. ... Víctor Lidio Jara Martínez (September 28, 1932 – September 15, 1973) was a Chilean educator, theatre director, poet, folk singer-songwriter, and political activist. ... Villa Grimaldi was a torture and detention center used by the DINA (Direccion de Inteligencia Nacional), Chilean secret police, under Augusto Pinochets dictatorship. ...

1993 election and trials of human rights violations during the dictatorship

Main article: Chilean presidential election, 1993

Preparing for the 1993 election, the Concertación held primaries in May 1993, opposing on its left-wing Ricardo Lagos (PPD) to Christian-Democrat Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, (PDC), the son of former President Eduardo Frei Montalva (1911-1982, President from 1970 to 1973). Eduardo Frei won these primaries by a large majority of 63%. The right-wing, grouped in the Alliance for Chile, also held primaries opposing Sebastián Piñera (National Renewal, RN, the largest right-wing party at the time), who had supported the "NO" during the 1988 plebiscite on the return to civilian rule, to Arturo Alessandri Besa, former member of the National Party (PN, opposed to Eduardo Frei in the 1970 presidential election) and currently representant of the Independent Democrat Union (UDI). Alessandri won those, and thus represented the Alliance for Chile against the Concertación. Others candidates include José Piñera, former Minister in the early 1980s who had implemented the law granting property of copper to the Chilean Armed Forces, and future co-chairman of the 1995 Project on Social Security Choice of the Cato Institute, a libertarian US think-tank, presented himself as an independent (6%), ecologist Manfred Max-Neef (5,55%), representant of the Left-Wing Democratic Alternative (which gathered the Communist Party (PCC), MAPU (part of the Popular Unity coalition of Allende) and the Christian Left Party) Eugenio Pizarro Poblete (less than 5%) and finally Cristián Reitze Campos of the left-wing Humanist Party (1,1%). Frei Ruiz-Tagle finally won the election in the first turn, held in December 1993, with an absolute majority of almost 58%, and more than 4 millions votes against Arturo Allesandri who gathered around 1,700 000 votes (24.4%). Eduardo Frei took office in March 1994 and presided for a 6-year term, until 2000. During his term, it was not possible to judge any military for his role during the dictatorship, while large sectors of the Chilean society remained Pinochetista. Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 A presidential election was held in Chile on December, 1993. ... Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 A presidential election was held in Chile on December, 1993. ... Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a lawyer, economist and Socialist politician, and the president of Chile since 2000. ... The Party for Democracy is a governing political party in Chile. ... Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle (born June 24, 1942) was President of Chile from 1994 to 2000. ... The Christian Democrat Party of Chile (Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile) is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. ... Eduardo Nicanor Frei Montalva (1911–1982) was the president of Chile from 1964 to 1970. ... The Alliance for Chile (Spanish Alianza por Chile), also known as La Alianza (The Alliance), is a coalition of right wing Chilean political parties. ... Politics of Chile President of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: Presidential: 1925 - 1927 - 1931 - 1932 - 1938 - 1941 - 1946 - 1952 - 1958 - 1964 - 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 A presidential election was held in Chile on 4 September 1970. ... The Independent Democrat Union (Unión Demócrata Independiente, UDI) is Chiles most conservative political party. ... José Piñera José Piñera Echenique (born October 6, 1948, in Santiago, Chile) is a leading free market economist and a world pension reformer. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Atomic mass 63. ... The Cato Institute is a libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Institutes stated mission is to broaden the parameters of public policy debate to allow consideration of the traditional American principles of limited government, individual liberty, free markets, and peace by seeking greater involvement of the... See also Libertarianism and Libertarian Party Libertarian,is a term for person who has made a conscious and principled commitment, evidenced by a statement or Pledge, to forswear violating others rights and usually living in voluntary communities: thus in law no longer subject to government supervision. ... Manfred Max-Neef (b. ... The Communist Party of Chile YOU MOTHERFUCKING COMMUNISTS GO TO HELL! (Spanish: Partido Comunista de Chile) is a Chilean political party that advocates communism. ... The Popular Unitary Action Movement or MAPU (Spanish: Movimiento de Acción Popular Unitario) is a small leftist political party in Chile. ... Peoples Unity, or Popular Unity (Spanish: Unidad Popular or UP) was the coalition of Chilean political parties that coalesced behind the successful candidacy of Salvador Allende for the 1970 Chilean presidential election. ... The Christian Left Party (Spanish: Izquierda Cristiana) is a young Chilean socialist political party. ... The Humanist Party (Partido Humanista) is a progressive left-wing political party in Chile, founded in 1984. ... Absolute majority is a supermajoritarian voting requirement which is stricter than a simple majority. ...

1998 arrest of Pinochet in London and 2000 election of Ricardo Lagos

Further information: Augusto Pinochet's arrest and trial and Chilean presidential election, 1999-2000

Following an agreement between Pinochet and Andrés Zaldívar Larraín, president of the Senate, the latter voted to abolish the date of 11 September as a National Holiday which celebrated the 1973 coup. Supporters of Pinochet had blocked until then any such attempt ^[2]. The same year, Pinochet traveled to London for an operation. But under orders of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón, he was arrested there, lifting world-wide attention, not only because of the past history of Chile and South America, but also because this was one of the first arrest of a dictator based on the universal juridiction principle. Pinochet tried to defend himself by refering to the State Immunity Act of 1978, an argument rejected by the British justice. However, UK Home Secretary Jack Straw took the responsibility to release him on medical grounds, and refused to extradite him to Spain. Thereafter, Pinochet returned to Chile in March 2000. Upon descending the plane on his wheelchair, he quickly stood up and saluted the cheering crowd of supporters, including an army band playing his favorite military march tunes, which was awaiting him at the airport in Santiago. President Ricardo Lagos, who had just sworn in on March 11, said the retired general's televised arrival had damaged the image of Chile, while thousands demonstrated against him ^[3]. Pinochet is visited by Margaret Thatcher during his house arrest in London, in 1998 Main article: Augusto Pinochet General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent... Chile Congress building The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chiles bicameral Congress, as established in the current constitution. ... Baltasar Garzón (Photo credit: Presidency of Argentina. ... Pinochet is visited by Margaret Thatcher during his house arrest in London, in 1998 Main article: Augusto Pinochet General Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (born November 25, 1915) was head of the military dictatorship that ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, and which came to power in a violent... John Whitaker Straw (born August 3, 1946) is a British Labour Party politician. ... Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a lawyer, economist and Socialist politician, and the president of Chile since 2000. ...

Representing the Concertación coalition for democracy, Ricardo Lagos had won [[|the election just a few months before, by a very tight score of less than 200,000 votes (51,32%) against Joaquín Lavín (less than 49%), who represented the right-wing Alliance for Chile. None of the six candidates had obtained an absolute majority on the first turn held on December 12, 1999. Lagos was sworn in March 11, 2000, for a 6-year term. Politics of Chile Political parties in Chile Elections in Chile: President: 1925 - 1927 - 1931 - 1932 - 1938 - 1941 - 1946 - 1952 - 1958 - 1964 - 1970 - 1989 - 1993 - 1999 - 2005 The Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia (Spanish Coalition of Parties for Democracy) is an alliance of center-left political parties in Chile. ... Joaquín Lavín in a telecasted debate of Canal 13 and CNN en Español Joaquín José Lavín Infante (b. ... The Alliance for Chile (Spanish Alianza por Chile), also known as La Alianza (The Alliance), is a coalition of right wing Chilean political parties. ...

In 2002 Chile signed an association agreement with the European Union (comprising FTA, political and cultural agreements), in 2003, an extensive free trade agreement with the United States, and in 2004 with South Korea, expecting a boom in import and export of local produce and becoming a regional trade-hub.

Meanwhile, the trials concerning human rights violations during the dictatorship continued. Pinochet was stripped of his parliamentary immunity in August 2000 by the Supreme Court, and indicted by judge Juan Guzmán Tapia. Tapia had ordered in 1999 the arrest of five militaries, including General Pedro Espinoza Bravo of the DINA, for their role in the Caravan of Death following the 11 September coup. Arguing that the bodies of the "disappeared" were still missing, he made jurisprudence which had as effect to lift any prescription on the crimes committed by the militaries. Pinochet's trial continued until his death on December 10, 2006, with an alternance of indictments for specific cases, lifting of immunities by the Supreme Court or to the contrary immunity from prosecution, with his health a main argument for, or against, his prosecution. The Supreme Court affirmed in March 2005 Pinochet's immunity concerning the 1974 assassination of General Carlos Prats in Buenos Aires, which had taken place in the frame of Operation Condor. However, he was deemed fit to stand trial for Operation Colombo, during which 119 political opponents were "disappeared" in Argentina. The Chilean justice also lifted his immunity on the Villa Grimaldi case, a detention and torture center in the outskirts of Santiago. Pinochet, who still benefited from a reputation of righteousness from his supporters, lost legitimacy when he was put under house arrest on tax fraud and passport forgery, following the publication by the US Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations of a report concerning the Riggs Bank in July 2004. The report was a consequence of investigations on financial fundings of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the US. The bank controlled between USD $4 million and $8 million of Pinochet's assets, who lived in Santiago in a modest house, dissimulating his wealth. According to the report, Riggs participated in money laundering for Pinochet, setting up offshore shell corporations (referring to Pinochet as only "a former public official"), and hiding his accounts from regulatory agencies. Related to Pinochet's and his family secret bank accounts in United States and in Caraïbs islands, this tax fraud filing for an amount of 27 million dollars shocked the conservative sectors who still supported him. Ninety percent of these funds would have been raised between 1990 and 1998, when Pinochet was chief of the Chilean armies, and would essentially have come from weapons traffic (when purchasing Belgian 'Mirage' air-fighters in 1994, Dutch 'Léopard' tanks, Swiss 'Mowag' tanks or by illegal sales of weapons to Croatia, in the middle of the Balkans war.) His wife, Lucía Hiriart, and his son, Marco Antonio Pinochet, were also sued for complicity. For the fourth time in seven years, Pinochet was indicted by the Chilean justice ^[4]. Parliamentary immunity is a system in which members of the parliament are granted partial immunity from prosecution. ... Juan Salvador Guzmán Tapia was born on April 22, 1939 in Salvador, in a Chilean diplomat family, which acclaimed Augusto Pinochets coup détat in 1973. ... Brigadier Pedro Espinoza Bravo was a Chilean Army officer and member of the DINA, the secret police which operated during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). ... DINAs emblem Dirección de Inteligencia Nacional (Spanish: National Intelligence Directorate) or DINA was the Chilean secret police in the government of Augusto Pinochet. ... Generals Sergio Arellano Stark and Augusto Pinochet a few hours before the departure of the Caravan of Death (September 1973) The Caravan of Death was a Chilean Army squad that, following the Chilean coup of 1973, flew by helicopter from south to north of Chile between September 30 and October... A forced disappearance occurs when an organization forces a person to vanish from public view, either by murder or by simple sequestration. ... Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. ... A statute of limitations is a statute in a common law legal system setting forth the maximum period of time, after certain events, that legal proceedings based on those events may begin. ... General Prats, as vice-president General Carlos Prats González (1915 - Chilean political figure, and General Augusto Pinochets predecessor as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army. ... For other uses of Operation Condor, please see Operation Condor (disambiguation) Participating countries of the Operation Condor; in pink those with partial participation (i. ... Operation Colombo design a disinformation plan by the DINA ,chileans secret police, in july 1976, to cover up the murder of 119 leftist opponents. ... Villa Grimaldi was a torture and detention center used by the DINA (Direccion de Inteligencia Nacional), Chilean secret police, under Augusto Pinochets dictatorship. ... The Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is currently chaired by Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), with Carl Levin (D-MI) as a ranking member. ... Riggs Bank was a Washington, DC-based commercial bank with branches located in the surrounding metropolitan area and offices around the world. ... A sequential look at United Flight 175 crashing into the south tower of the World Trade Center The September 11, 2001 attacks (often referred to as 9/11—pronounced nine eleven or nine one one) consisted of a series of coordinated terrorist[1] suicide attacks upon the United States, predominantly... Money laundering is the practice of engaging in financial transactions in order to conceal the identity, source and destination of the money in question. ... For the oil company, see Royal Dutch-Shell. ... Lucía Hiriart de Pinochet, nee Lucía Hiriart Rodríguez, is the wife (1943) of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. ...

The Chilean authorities took control in August 2005 of the Colonia Dignidad concentration camp, directed by ex-Nazi Paul Schäfer. Colonia Dignidad (Dignity Colony, now known as Villa Baviera, Bavaria Village), is a settlement located in an isolated area in the Maule Region of southern Chile, near the village of Parral. ... Ex-Nazis are those who were once Nazis and resigned from the party. ... Paul Schäfer Paul Schäfer Schneider (born December 4, 1921) is the founder and former leader of a sect and agricultural commune of German immigrants called Colonia Dignidad (Dignity Colony)—later renamed Villa Baviera—located in central Chile, about 340 km south of Santiago. ...

President Ricardo Lagos signed in 2005 the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership free trade agreement with Brunei, New Zealand and Singapore. This P4 agreement has entered into force in May 2006. All country members are part of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum. The Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (SEP), also known as the P4 agreement, is a multilateral free trade agreement between the countries of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore which was signed on 3 June 2005 and came into force on 1 January 2006. ... The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) is a group of Pacific Rim countries that meet with the purpose of improving economic and political ties. ...

2005 reform of the 1980 Constitution

Over 50 reforms to Pinochet's Constitution were approved in 2005, which eliminated some of the remaining undemocratic areas of the text, such as the existence of non-elected Senators (institutional senators, or senators for life) and the inability of the President to remove the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. These reforms led the President to controversially declare Chile's transition to democracy as complete. However, the anti-terrorist measures of it remained in force, and have been used against the Mapuches. Furthermore, the military still retained control of the copper industry. A senator for life is a member of the senate elected or appointed for lifetime. ... Anti-terrorism legislation designs all types of laws passed in the purported aim of fighting terrorism. ... Mapuche (Mapudungun; Che, People + Mapu, of the Land) are the original Amerindian inhabitants of Central and Southern Chile and Southern Argentina. ...

2006 election

The Concertación again won the 2006 presidential election. Michelle Bachelet, first woman president, won against Sebastián Piñera (Alliance for Chile), with more than 53% of the votes. Bachelet's first political crisis occurred with massive student protests, who were demanding free bus fare and the waiving of the university admissions test (PSU) fee, while the longer term demands included: the abolition of the Organic Constitutional Law on Teaching (LOCE), the end to municipalization of subsidized education, a reform to the Full-time School Day policy (JEC) and a quality education for all. The protests peaked on May 30, 2006 when 790,000 students adhered to strikes and marches throughout the country, becoming Chile's largest student demonstration of the past three decades, a sure sign of the progress of the Chilean transition to democracy. 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. ... Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria (born September 29, 1951) is a center-left politician and the current President of Chile—the first woman to hold this position in the countrys history. ... Sebastián Piñera during a televised presidential debate (2005) Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (born December 1, 1949) is a Chilean businessman and politician. ... The 2006 student protests in Chile is a series of ongoing protests carried out by high school students across Chile since late April 2006. ...

References

George Weigel (Baltimore, 1951 - ) is an American conservative author, Roman Catholic theologian and political and social activist. ... The current BBC News logo BBC News and Current Affairs is a major arm of the BBC responsible for the corporations newsgathering and production of news programmes on BBC television, radio and online. ... The British Broadcasting Corporation, usually known as the BBC (and also informally known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world in terms of audience numbers, employing 26,000 staff in the United Kingdom alone and with a budget of more than GB£4 billion... The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. ...

See also

• Augusto Pinochet's arrest and trial
• Concertación (Coalition of Parties for Democracy)
• 2006 student protests in Chile
• Transition to democracy