LATIN AMERICA REVIEW - CHILE: LIBERALIZATION SPARKS OPPOSITION ACTIVITY

Created: 12/7/1979

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Liberalization Sparks Opposition Activity

As the:Pinochet regime moves .cautiouslygreater political freedom, Chile'shave'begun jto test the limits of /

] The Christian Democratic Partyhe regime's chiefas recently increased its activities;undred members of the party's youth movement were arrested last!week for unlawful assemblyJPDC literature, and chanting provocative slogans. The youths--most of whom were subsequentlyly had the approval of former President Eduardo Frei, who has become more assertive since he openly demanded the restoration;of traditional freedoms last summer. elements; jinj the church, labor, and universities also have become restive. For example, students at three universities/recently were suspendedariety of unauthorized activities.

Increased dissidence is the outgrowth of thetoward;greater freedom. Last summer theadopted ;aicomprehensive labor code allowingOf; labor practices prohibitedstrikes and collectivecontrolled circumstances. The government.however, toeturn to thelabor activity ofnd earlyleftists dominated the movement, in order tothe power of1 the'eftist labor bosses, [theformer union chiefs from leadership it also decentralizes labor by forbiddingof multiunion federations. Thethatjthe strikes andbargainingave taken place under theso far have been within bounds, but itwatch the process closely.

December

In another liberalization move, Santiago ispublic;debate on the draftew constitution. Whan portions .'of :the nearly completed draft were leaked to the preset ;the' Croup ofof moderate re-gimessued its own proposed constitution, which calls for considerably broader personal and political freedom than!the government textJ :The regime is anxious to keep criticism within manageable bounds, but:it hadublic discussion of the constitution and has not silencedl itsicritics for fear of drawing accusations that it isonstitution on the country. it iai trying to drum up support for its version. Interior Minister! Fernandez has held at least Onewith leading;center-right politicians! for thisof the moat significan^olitical openings in thejsix-year history.

broadening political participation,

-while continuing: to deny :'a| voice litO those the regime reqards as irreconcilable enemies--the PDC andilemma that can be expected to grow more serioushe liberalization processheiregime has'jnot'decided how far and how fast to move, but the government and its opponents are probing each other'should dissidents grow more vocal in coming months; the strength of theom-

>olitical decompression:will be tested further.

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