CHILE: POLITICAL NORMALIZATION MEASURES

Created: 4/13/1978

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Cl.llei Political Normalization Measures

President Pinochet's decision to advancuiie-tabloransition to constitutional rule war, ruado tSc in response to continuing internal and external pressures on hisi to normalize political life in Chile. ThefoJlowc on the heels of other changes dusigr.ed to improve the country's international image, including lifting the state of siege and the curfsw as well asa more lenient policy toward the return ofexiles.

ationwide speechpril, Pinochetplans to wind up workew constitution by the end of the year and tolebiscite on it some time thereafter. This advances by five years thehe outlined last July. The announcement also marks an important policy shift by the Chilean leader, who had remarked after last January's referendum that no further voting would be necessary in Chile forears.

Presumably, the investiture of an interim congress would take place at an early point in the transition process, with members designated initially by the junta. If the government adheres to earlier projections, the appointed congress wsuldour- or five-year term and then two-thirds of the legislators would be chosen through elections. The head of the constitutionalcommission has disclosedicameralwould be established and that the new constitution would specify an eight-year presidential tern. Pinochet did not mention presidential elections in his speech and was vague about the overall timing of the complete procei Nevertheless, his statement left the door open to even further modifications.

Although Pinochet emphasized that*it is necessary for the armed forcea to retain the "essence" ofpower, he said civilians wouldarger role in government. He did not elaborate, but he may have

been floating the idea of seeking cooperation fromof the Christian Democratic Party, the country's largest/ which was banned in There has been no reaction as yetbut the Christian Democrats will be reTuxtdrTttoparTicipate as long as restrictions on open political activity remain in force.

Among other measures raised in his speech, Pinochetide-ranging program to pardon or to commute the sentences of all prisoners convicted by military courts for violatingoup.

as manymc^atoTy^^Tne releases will also close the books for all practical purposes on most cases that have interested human rights groups.

Along with these steps to silence criticism of its human rights record, the government relented on still another front by agreeing to permit anepresentative of the International Labor Organization. The ILO has repeatedly deplored Chile's failure to provide information on arrested and disappeared persons in the labor movement.

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Motivation for fresh initiatives to ease thehard-line policies can be attributed partly to pressures within the ruling Juntaore liberal

courso ana, more Importantly, from key Army genorals concerned about questions of legitimacy and lmprovod relations with the United States. Pinochet now seems committedore rapid pace of eliminating repressive controls and restoring constitutional government. He is obviously hopeful that international recognition of this fact will bo accorded to Chile.

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