Chilean national plebiscite, 1988
Encyclopedia
The 1988 Chilean national plebiscite was a national referendum
held to determine whether or not dictator Augusto Pinochet
would extend his rule for another eight-year term in office. It was held on October 5, 1988. The No side won with 55.99% of the vote, and Pinochet renounced office, putting an end to the 16½ year military dictatorship.
which deposed the democratically-elected Socialist President Salvador Allende
. Allende killed himself while the presidential palace
was being bombarded. A military junta —led by Pinochet, Air Force General Gustavo Leigh
, Navy Admiral José Toribio Merino
, and Carabinero Chief General César Mendoza
— was sworn in that same evening. The following day, the four drafted an official document suspending the 1925 constitution and Congress and establishing the Junta as Chile’s supreme power. Pinochet was designated as its first President, and the four verbally agreed to rotate the office. Shortly after, the Junta established an advisory committee, which Pinochet was successful in staffing with Army officers loyal to himself. One of their first recommendations was to discard the idea of a rotating Presidency, arguing it would create too many administrative problems and lead to confusion. In March 1974, six months after the Junta’s establishment, Pinochet verbally attacked the Christian Democrat Party
and stated that there was no set timetable for the return to civilian rule. On December 18, 1974 Pinochet was declared Supreme Leader of the nation. After that date, the junta functioned strictly as a legislative body until the return to democracy in 1990.
On September 24, 1973, a commission was set up by the junta to draw up a blueprint for a new constitution. By October 5, 1978, the commission had finished its work. During the next two years, the proposal was studied by the Council of State presided by former president Jorge Alessandri
, and on July 1980 it submitted a Constitution draft to Pinochet and the Junta. A highly irregular national plebiscite took place on September 11, 1980, where the Constitution was approved by 67%. The Constitution, which took effect in March 1981, established a "transition period," where Pinochet would continue to exercise the executive power and the Junta the legislative power, for the next eight years. Before that period ended, a candidate for President was to be proposed by the Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces and Carabinero Chief General for the following period of eight years. The candidate was to be ratified by voters in a national plebiscite. On August 30, 1988 Pinochet was declared the candidate.
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
held to determine whether or not dictator Augusto Pinochet
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte, more commonly known as Augusto Pinochet , was a Chilean army general and dictator who assumed power in a coup d'état on 11 September 1973...
would extend his rule for another eight-year term in office. It was held on October 5, 1988. The No side won with 55.99% of the vote, and Pinochet renounced office, putting an end to the 16½ year military dictatorship.
Background
Army General Augusto Pinochet took power on September 11, 1973 in a coup d'étatCoup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
which deposed the democratically-elected Socialist President Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende
Salvador Allende Gossens was a Chilean physician and politician who is generally considered the first democratically elected Marxist to become president of a country in Latin America....
. Allende killed himself while the presidential palace
Palacio de La Moneda
Palacio de La Moneda , or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secretariat of the Government...
was being bombarded. A military junta —led by Pinochet, Air Force General Gustavo Leigh
Gustavo Leigh
Air General Gustavo Leigh Guzmán was a Chilean general, who represented the Air Force in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état and, for a time, in the ruling junta that followed. Leigh was forced out of the military government in 1978.-Biography:Leigh was born in Santiago, son of Hernán Leigh Bañados and...
, Navy Admiral José Toribio Merino
José Toribio Merino
José Toribio Merino Castro was one of the principal coup leaders of the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, along with General Augusto Pinochet of the Army, General Gustavo Leigh of the Air Force, and General Mendoza of the "Carabineros"...
, and Carabinero Chief General César Mendoza
César Mendoza
General César Leonidas Mendoza Durán was a member of the Government Junta which ruled Chile from 1973 to 1990, representing the country-wide police force, the Carabineros de Chile....
— was sworn in that same evening. The following day, the four drafted an official document suspending the 1925 constitution and Congress and establishing the Junta as Chile’s supreme power. Pinochet was designated as its first President, and the four verbally agreed to rotate the office. Shortly after, the Junta established an advisory committee, which Pinochet was successful in staffing with Army officers loyal to himself. One of their first recommendations was to discard the idea of a rotating Presidency, arguing it would create too many administrative problems and lead to confusion. In March 1974, six months after the Junta’s establishment, Pinochet verbally attacked the Christian Democrat Party
Christian Democrat Party of Chile
The Christian Democratic Party is a political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition. In the 2009 election it won 19 congress seats and 9 senate seats....
and stated that there was no set timetable for the return to civilian rule. On December 18, 1974 Pinochet was declared Supreme Leader of the nation. After that date, the junta functioned strictly as a legislative body until the return to democracy in 1990.
On September 24, 1973, a commission was set up by the junta to draw up a blueprint for a new constitution. By October 5, 1978, the commission had finished its work. During the next two years, the proposal was studied by the Council of State presided by former president Jorge Alessandri
Jorge Alessandri
Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez was the 27th President of Chile from 1958 to 1964, and was the candidate of the Chilean right in the crucial presidential election of 1970...
, and on July 1980 it submitted a Constitution draft to Pinochet and the Junta. A highly irregular national plebiscite took place on September 11, 1980, where the Constitution was approved by 67%. The Constitution, which took effect in March 1981, established a "transition period," where Pinochet would continue to exercise the executive power and the Junta the legislative power, for the next eight years. Before that period ended, a candidate for President was to be proposed by the Commanders in Chief of the Armed Forces and Carabinero Chief General for the following period of eight years. The candidate was to be ratified by voters in a national plebiscite. On August 30, 1988 Pinochet was declared the candidate.
Plebiscite
The plebiscite consisted of two choices:- Yes: The proposed candidate is approved. Pinochet takes office on March 11, 1989 for the following eight years and parliamentary elections take place nine months after he is sworn in. The Junta continues to exercise the legislative power until the newly elected Congress takes office on March 11, 1990.
- No: The proposed candidate is rejected. Pinochet and the Junta continue in power for another year. Presidential and parliamentary elections take place three months before Pinochet's term expires. The newly elected President and Congress take office on March 11, 1990.
Results
| Option | Votes | % | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3,119,110 | 44.01 | |
| No | 3,967,569 | 55.98 | Proposal rejected |
| Valid votes | 7,086,679 | 100.00 | |
| Null votes | 94,594 | 1.30 | |
| Blank votes | 70,660 | 0.97 | |
| Total votes | 7,251,933 | 100.00 | |
| Registered voters | 7,435,913 | 97.52% turnout | |
External links
- El plebiscito presidencial de 1988 (in Spanish)