Chile Constitutions

Thousands of Chileans gathered at a Santiago rally called by leftist parties and chanted slogans calling for the resignation of President Augusto Pinochet. Many at the rally urged their leaders to call a national strike to put pressure on Pinochet to step down immediately. Pinochet lost an Oct. 5 referendum, but under the constitution may stay in office until three months after a December, 1989, election to choose his successor.

When President-elect Eduardo Frei takes office in March, Chile's democracy will still be bridled by a 1980 constitution, written under the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Frei, 51, vows that he will fight to change the charter. His supporters say it contains undemocratic restrictions and restraints--which the conservative opposition calls stabilizing checks and balances. Although Frei's center-left coalition won the Dec.

Gen. Augusto Pinochet declared Sunday night that he will not negotiate with the opposition on demands for political reforms and for his early departure from power, despite his defeat in a presidential plebiscite last week. In an interview broadcast on national television, Pinochet issued an unequivocal refusal to consider changes in the constitution, which keeps him in power until March, 1990, three months after multi-party elections scheduled for December, 1989.

Voters overwhelmingly approved 54 reforms to Chile's military-written constitution on Sunday, authorizing changes that pave the way for a transition to democracy after nearly 16 years of rule by the armed forces. In a rare agreement, both President Augusto Pinochet and the political opposition had supported the referendum proposal.

Gen. Augusto Pinochet declared Thursday night that he accepts his defeat at the polls as the verdict of Chile's emerging democracy, but he also effectively brushed aside the opposition's demands for far broader political reforms. As Pinochet spoke to the nation for the first time since Wednesday's vote, tens of thousands of people filled the streets of the capital, celebrating his defeat in a spontaneous fiesta.

In accepting his defeat at the polls, Gen. Augusto Pinochet defied those who said that a dictator would never submit to the verdict of the ballot. He also shifted the burden onto the shoulders of Chile's fragile opposition alliance, which now must transform its victory into concrete democratic reforms. And Chile's era of uncertainty is far from over.

Voters overwhelmingly approved 54 reforms to Chile's military-written constitution on Sunday, authorizing changes that pave the way for a transition to democracy after nearly 16 years of rule by the armed forces. In a rare agreement, both President Augusto Pinochet and the political opposition had supported the referendum proposal.

President Augusto Pinochet, embracing several opposition demands, agreed Saturday that a new plebiscite should be held on proposed constitutional reforms that would broaden democratic rights in Chile. Pinochet addressed the nation on the final day of his eight-year mandate under the 1980 constitution. His defeat in a plebiscite last October denied him another eight-year term that would have begun Saturday.

When President-elect Eduardo Frei takes office in March, Chile's democracy will still be bridled by a 1980 constitution, written under the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet. Frei, 51, vows that he will fight to change the charter. His supporters say it contains undemocratic restrictions and restraints--which the conservative opposition calls stabilizing checks and balances. Although Frei's center-left coalition won the Dec.

Chile's President Augusto Pinochet said his lame-duck military government and the opposition have agreed on democratic changes in the nation's constitution. The accord came after two months of unprecedented negotiations and paved the way for a national referendum, probably in August, to approve the amendments. Patricio Aylwin, leader of a 17-party opposition coalition, said the reforms "open the road for an orderly transition to a fully democratic regime." Pinochet, who was defeated in a plebiscite last October, would say only that the reforms include changes that will make it easier for the new Congress to approve further constitutional alterations.

President Augusto Pinochet, embracing several opposition demands, agreed Saturday that a new plebiscite should be held on proposed constitutional reforms that would broaden democratic rights in Chile. Pinochet addressed the nation on the final day of his eight-year mandate under the 1980 constitution. His defeat in a plebiscite last October denied him another eight-year term that would have begun Saturday.

Gen. Augusto Pinochet declared Sunday night that he will not negotiate with the opposition on demands for political reforms and for his early departure from power, despite his defeat in a presidential plebiscite last week. In an interview broadcast on national television, Pinochet issued an unequivocal refusal to consider changes in the constitution, which keeps him in power until March, 1990, three months after multi-party elections scheduled for December, 1989.

Gen. Augusto Pinochet declared Thursday night that he accepts his defeat at the polls as the verdict of Chile's emerging democracy, but he also effectively brushed aside the opposition's demands for far broader political reforms. As Pinochet spoke to the nation for the first time since Wednesday's vote, tens of thousands of people filled the streets of the capital, celebrating his defeat in a spontaneous fiesta.

In accepting his defeat at the polls, Gen. Augusto Pinochet defied those who said that a dictator would never submit to the verdict of the ballot. He also shifted the burden onto the shoulders of Chile's fragile opposition alliance, which now must transform its victory into concrete democratic reforms. And Chile's era of uncertainty is far from over.