Chile

This article is part of the series: Politics and government of Chile

Constitution President Michelle Bachelet National Congress Senate Chamber of Deputies Political parties Elections President: 2005–2006, 2009 Legislature: 2005 Regions Provinces Communes Foreign relations

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Politics of Chile take place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President of Chile is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the The current Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile, approved by Chilean voters in a tightly controlled Plebiscite on September 11 1980 Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria beˈɾonika mɪˈʃɛl baʃˈle ˈxeɾja / --> (born September 29 1951) is a center-left politician and The National Congress (Congreso Nacional is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile. The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile 's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile (Cámara de Diputados is the lower house of Chile 's bicameral Congress. This article lists political parties in Chile. Chile has a Multi-party system, within a system with two dominant coalitions Chile holds nationwide presidential parliamentary and municipal elections A presidential election took place in Chile on Sunday December 11 2005. The Chilean presidential election of 2009 is scheduled by law to take place on Friday December 11 2009. The 2005 Chilean parliamentary election took place on December 11 2005, in conjunction with the presidential election. ||-||} Chile is divided into 15 Regions (in Spanish, regiones; singular región) each of which is headed by an Intendant ( intendente Chile is divided into 53 Provinces grouped into 15 regions. Each province is headed by a governor ( gobernador) appointed by the president A commune (comuna is the smallest administrative subdivision in Chile and may contain Cities, Towns Villages, Hamlets as well as Rural Since its return to democracy in 1990 Chile has been an active participant in the international political arena Information on politics by country is available for every Country, including both De jure and De facto independent Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the A presidential system is a System of government where an executive branch exists and presides (hence the term separately from the Legislature Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principles of the people's representatives A republic is a State or Country that is not led by a hereditary Monarch, but in which the people (or at least a part of its people have impact on its Head of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a Monarchic or Republican Nation-state This article focuses on the cases where the Head of Government is a separate office from the Head of State A multi-party system is a system in which three or more political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition Executive power is exercised by the government. In Political science and Constitutional law, the executive is the branch of government responsible for the day-to-day management of the State. Legislative power is vested in both the government and the two chambers of the National Congress. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. The National Congress (Congreso Nacional is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile. The Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. In Law, the judiciary or judicial system is the system of Courts which administer Justice in the name of the sovereign or State

Chile's Constitution was canceled in a national plebiscite in September 1980, under the military government of dictator Augusto Pinochet. The current Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile, approved by Chilean voters in a tightly controlled Plebiscite on September 11 1980 Year 1980 ( MCMLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1980 Gregorian calendar) A military junta is a government ruled by a committee of military leaders For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (November It entered into force in March 1981. Year 1981 ( MCMLXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 After Pinochet's defeat in the 1988 plebiscite, the Constitution was amended to ease provisions for future amendments to the Constitution. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) A referendum (plural referendums or referenda) ballot question, or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita In September 2005, President Ricardo Lagos signed into law several constitutional amendments passed by Congress. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a lawyer economist and social democrat politician who served as president of These include eliminating the positions of appointed senators and senators for life, granting the President authority to remove the commanders-in-chief of the armed forces, and reducing the presidential term from six to four years. A senator for life is a member of the Senate elected or appointed for lifetime

Executive branch

Chile elects its President by popular vote for a four-year term. The President appoints the cabinet.

Michelle Bachelet won 53. Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria beˈɾonika mɪˈʃɛl baʃˈle ˈxeɾja / --> (born September 29 1951) is a center-left politician and 49% of the vote in a run-off election on 15 January 2006 and was sworn in as President on March 11, 2006. Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Bachelet is a member of Chile's Socialist with one fo the permain playersparty (part of the Coalition of Parties for Democracy) and, under the past administration, served as Defense Minister since 2002, and previously as Health Minister. Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the The Socialist Party of Chile (Spanish Partido Socialista de Chile or PS is part of the ruling Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition The Concert of Parties for Democracy (Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of Center-left Chileans voted in the first round of presidential elections on December 11, 2005. Events 359 - Honoratus, the first known Prefect of the City of Constantinople, takes office Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. None of the four presidential candidates won more than 50% of the vote. As a result, the top two vote-getters—center-left Concertacion coalition’s Michelle Bachelet and center-right Alianza coalition’s Sebastián Piñera—competed in a run-off election on January 15, 2006, which Michelle Bachelet won. Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (born December 1 1949) is a Chilean businessman and politician Events 588 BC - Nebuchadrezzar II of Babylon lays siege to Jerusalem under Zedekiah 's reign Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. She was sworn in on March 11, 2006. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. This was Chile’s fourth presidential election since the end of the Pinochet era. All four have been judged free and fair. The President is constitutionally barred from serving consecutive terms.

Former President Ricardo Lagos Escobar held this office from 11 March 2000 until 11 March 2006. Ricardo Froilán Lagos Escobar (born March 2, 1938) is a lawyer economist and social democrat politician who served as president of Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar.

Legislative branch

The bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of the Senate (Senado) and the Chamber of Deputies (Cámara de Diputados). The National Congress (Congreso Nacional is the legislative branch of the government of the Republic of Chile. The Senate of the Republic of Chile is the upper house of Chile 's bicameral National Congress, as established in the current Constitution of Chile The Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Chile (Cámara de Diputados is the lower house of Chile 's bicameral Congress.

Chile's congressional elections are governed by a unique binomial system that rewards coalition slates. Each coalition can present two candidates for the two Senate and two lower-chamber seats apportioned to each chamber's electoral districts. Typically, the two largest coalitions split the seats in a district. Only if the leading coalition ticket outpolls the second-place coalition by a margin of more than 2-to-1 does the winning coalition gain both seats. The political parties with the largest representation in the current Chilean Congress are the centrist Christian Democrat Party and the conservative Independent Democratic Union (Unión Demócrata Independiente). The Christian Democratic Party of Chile ( Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile) is a Political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition The Independent Democrat Union ( Unión Demócrata Independiente, UDI is a Chilean conservative Political party. The Communist Party and the small Humanist Party failed to gain any seats in the 1998 elections. The Communist Party of Chile (Partido Comunista de Chile is a Chilean political party that advocates Communism. The Humanist Party ( Partido Humanista) is a progressive left-wing Political party in Chile, founded in 1984

Elections are very labor intensive but efficient, and vote counting normally takes place the evening of the election day. One voting table, with a ballot-box each, is set up for at-most 200 names in the voting registry. Each table is manned by five people (vocales de mesa) from the same registry. Vocales have the duty to work as such during a cycle of elections, and can be penalized legally if they do not show up. A registered citizen can only vote after his identity has been verified at the table corresponding to his registry. Ballots are manually counted by the five vocales, after the table has closed, at least eight hours after opening, and the counting witnessed by representatives of all the parties who choose to have observers.

The Senate is made up of 38 members elected from regions or subregions which serve approximately eight-year terms.

The Chamber of Deputies has 120 members, who are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms. The last congressional elections were held in December 11, 2006. The next congressional elections are scheduled for December 2009.

The current Senate composition is as follows: 20 seats are held by the Coalition of Parties for Democracy (CPD): Six Christian Democrats (PDC), eight Socialists (PS), three Party for Democracy (PPD) and three Social Democrat Radical Party (PRSD); 17 by the Alliance for Chile (APC): nine Independent Democrat Union (UDI) and eight National Renewal (RN); and one independent leaning right. The Concert of Parties for Democracy (Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia more often known as the Concertación, is a coalition of Center-left The Christian Democratic Party of Chile ( Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile) is a Political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition The Socialist Party of Chile (Spanish Partido Socialista de Chile or PS is part of the ruling Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition The Party for Democracy ( Partido por la Democracia) is a governing Political party in Chile; it is social democratic in its political orientation The Social Democratic Radical Party ( Partido Radical Socialdemócrata) is a Social democratic party in Chile. The Alliance for Chile ( Spanish "Alianza por Chile" also known as La Alianza (The Alliance is a coalition of Center-right Chilean The Independent Democrat Union ( Unión Demócrata Independiente, UDI is a Chilean conservative Political party. National Renewal (RN ( Spanish: "Renovación Nacional" is a center - right liberal conservative Political party belonging

The current lower house—the Chamber of Deputies —contains 65 members of the governing coalition: 21 Christian Democrats (PDC), 15 Socialists (PS), 22 Party for Democracy (PPD) and seven Social Democrat Radical Party (PRSD); 54 from the center-right Alliance for Chile(APC): 34 Independent Democrat Union (UDI) and 20 National Renewal (RN); and 1 from the Independent Regional Force (FRI) coalition: 1 Regionalist Action Party of Chile (PAR). The Christian Democratic Party of Chile ( Partido Demócrata Cristiano de Chile) is a Political party in Chile and governs as part of the Coalition The Socialist Party of Chile (Spanish Partido Socialista de Chile or PS is part of the ruling Coalition of Parties for Democracy coalition The Party for Democracy ( Partido por la Democracia) is a governing Political party in Chile; it is social democratic in its political orientation The Social Democratic Radical Party ( Partido Radical Socialdemócrata) is a Social democratic party in Chile. The Alliance for Chile ( Spanish "Alianza por Chile" also known as La Alianza (The Alliance is a coalition of Center-right Chilean The Independent Democrat Union ( Unión Demócrata Independiente, UDI is a Chilean conservative Political party. National Renewal (RN ( Spanish: "Renovación Nacional" is a center - right liberal conservative Political party belonging Regionalist Action Party of Chile (in Spanish: Partido de Acción Regionalista de Chile) a Political party in Chile.

Since 1987 the Congress operates in the port city of Valparaíso, about 110 kilometers (~70 mi. Valparaíso (literally in Spanish: Valle Paraíso (Paradise Valley and also called "Valpo" locally is a major city in Chile ) northwest of the capital, Santiago. Santiago ( (litteraly in spanish Saint James) is the Capital of Chile, and the center of its largest Conurbation ( Greater Santiago However some commissions are allowed to meet in other places, especially Santiago. Congressional members have tried repeatedly to relocate the Congress back to Santiago, where it operated until the 1973, but have not been successful. The Chilean coup d'état of 1973 is a landmark in the History of Chile and the Russo-American Cold War. The last attempt was in 2000, when the project was rejected by the Constitutional Court, because it allocated funds from the national budget, which, under the Chilean Constitution, is a privilege of the President.

Legal system

Main article: Judiciary of Chile

Chile's judiciary is independent and includes a court of appeal, a system of military courts, a constitutional tribunal, and the Supreme Court. The judiciary of the Republic of Chile includes one Supreme Court, one Constitutional Court 16 Courts of Appeal 84 Oral Criminal Tribunals and Guarantee Judges The Supreme Court of Chile is the highest Court in Chile. It also administrates the lower courts in the nation The judges on the Supreme Court or Corte Suprema are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself. The president of the Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court.

Chile's legal system is civil law based. Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world. It is primarily based on the Civil code of 1855, derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by European law of the last half of the 19th Century. A civil code is a systematic compilation of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of Private law. The 19th century of the Common Era began on January 1, 1801 and ended on December 31, 1900, according to the Gregorian calendar Chile provides for a very limited judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court. It does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

From the year 2000 onward, Chile completely overhauled its criminal justice system; a new, US-style adversarial system has been gradually implemented throughout the country with the final stage of implementation in the Santiago metropolitan region completed on June 90, 2001

Political parties and elections

Main article: Chilean presidential election, 2005

Main article: Chilean parliamentary election, 2005

Pressure groups

Pressure groups according to the CIA World Factbook:

• Student federations at all major universities
• Roman Catholic Church
• United Labor Central (CUT), trade unionists from Chile's five largest labor confederations. The World Factbook ( ISSN; also known as the CIA World Factbook) is an annual publication of the Central Intelligence Agency of the

International organization participation

Chile or Chilean organizations participate in the following international organizations:

See also

• President of Chile
• List of political parties in Chile
• Foreign relations of Chile
• Human rights in Chile
• Chilean political scandals

External links

• (Spanish) Government of Chile
• (Spanish) National Congress
• (Spanish) Presidency
• (Spanish) Judicial Branch