1993 Chilean Elections
(Told in AP News Bulletins)
Breaking News: Chilean Parliament backed by President Pinochet, passes new laws restricting freedom of movement in and out of Chile.
SANTIAGO (AP) -- Today in the Chilean capital, Parliament has passed more quarantine measures to limit movement to and from Chile. The infamous “Shoot-on-Sight” policy is to remain in effect for another six months, though this has received some backlash in Chile. The wartime Unity Coalition is beginning to see cracks, as several opposition leaders criticized the bill, and the proposal was only passed by a slim majority. Many observers are currently concerned that Chile may possibly be slipping into authoritarianism.
Growing protests in Chile to end draconian policies
SANTIAGO (AP) -- The citizens of Chile evidently do not agree with parliament’s new laws restricting freedom of movement, with new bills proposing further restrictions on freedom of speech, all in the name of establishing quarantine, and protecting Chile from supposed chaos on all sides. There has been considerable outrage in recent days as a reporter was reportedly shot dead near the border illegally leaving Chile to report on a slum city on the borders of Chile. A siege mentality may be gaining popularity within Pinochet’s government, something which may be dangerous in days to come. Though many are confident in Pinochet’s democratic credentials, as he has now been president for 23 years. As one supporter said, “He doesn’t have an authoritarian bone in his body! I know he’ll see us through”.
Marburg’s stranglehold on South America officially declared over
GENEVA (AP) -- The South American Marburg virus epidemic has been officially declared over, as cases across the board have drastically dropped off over the past week. This is a breath of relief for South America, as they finally have received some level of peace after the Third World War. However the continent is still dealing with a rather less than ideal situation, with Chile being the only one being remotely stable, especially so as a democracy.
Opposition leader Patricio Aylwin calls for Pinochet to resign before his term ends in 3 years.
SANTIAGO (AP) -- Patricio Aylwin, leader of the Christian Democrats has declared that he believes that President Augusto Pinochet is no longer fit to rule the nation. Pointing to increasingly restrictive laws in the nation, he claims that Pinochet is now setting himself up to become a tinpot dictator, without any real reason for it. The worst of Marburg has passed, he argued in a speech, and soon enough, there will be a vaccine for the virus, which will eradicate it as a threat once and for all. The majority of Parliament (for now) is pro-Pinochet.
Breaking: Opposition parties projected to gain a majority in Parliament.
LIMA (AP)---Patricio Aylwin and the “Grand Coalition” of centre, centre-right, centre-left parties organized during the Third World War will likely win a large plurality in Chile’s parliament, thanks in part due to last-minute defections from the centre-right which has been nervous about the post-war chaos. The left-wing alliance of communist and socialist parties also made sizable electoral gains. However, Aylwin rejected calls for them to join the “Grand Coalition” for fears that this would scare some Chileans wary of extremism back into Pinochet’s camp. Pinochet was still considered by many one of the best leaders Chile ever had, why give up on him now? Though anti-Pinochet parties will likely hold a substantial majority in parliament and a mandate for change in Chile. However, the sheer variety in viewpoints of the anti-Pinochet coalitions will make action difficult in the short term.
Breaking News: President Pinochet declares himself President-for-life.
IQUIQUE (AP) -- Things have taken a sudden turn of events in Chile, as what seemed to be during a typical stump speech supporting outside of Iquique, Pinochet made the announcement that as a result of “unpatriotic sentiment” within members of Parliament, “I could no longer trust that they had the best interests of our nation at heart. We live in tough times, and tough times means we must take desperate measures. This is why, after many desperate attempts to find other such solution for our nation’s troubles, I only have one. With a regretful heart I dissolve Parliament and have suspended all elections, as I do not believe the opposition should be trusted. We shall stop the evil Marxist-Focoists from tainting Chile, as not even a world war won’t stop them from growing their tendrils throughout the world. We are a city on a hill in the midst of chaos, only we are pure. I will protect this Rome, South America's city on a hill as Cincinnatus.” Pinochet’s speech has had shockwaves through Chile, with the military divided as to what to do. Forces in the Santiago garrison have supported the power grab, and have arrested Parliament. Extra-judicial missions into neighboring nations have been reported by civilians, many claim they were out to capture key Argentine and Brazilian communist leaders currently in hiding, presumably to be executed. President Pinochet has likely directly been involved in these plans.
THIS JUST IN: Augusto Pinochet killed attempting to drop Argentine Communist off of helicopter.
VALDIVIA (AP) -- Augusto Pinochet has apparently died in a strange accident only a week after declaring himself dictator. Members of the president’s official guard claim that the president had ordered for the Chilean Agencia Nacional de Inteligencia to track down Señor Fote for an extra-judicial murder. Apparently Pinochet was particularly interested in killing Fote, one of the few surviving members of the 1976 Coup d’etat which formed the Communist Junta. Though their claims are yet to be confirmed, they claim that Pinochet was himself the one throwing Fote off of the helicopter, though he slipped off the edge, leading both to fall to their deaths. This story, unlikely as it is, was considered plausible enough for Pinochet's obituary to cite his cause of death to be an accident, though many claim the Presidential Guard actually killed him by pushing him off the edge. Neither of the bodies have been found. A shocked Chilean populace is gripping with the death of their leader, who had ruled for two decades, and had presided over the nation during World War III.
Parliamentary elections in Chile underway, anti-Pinochet candidates win in a landslide.
SANTIAGO (AP) -- In the emergency Presidential elections held on the 5th of November, Patricio Aylwin, the chief of the centrist Christian Democratic Party has won a landslide. Exit polls point to a Chilean desire for stability, democracy, and neutrality (with a pro-American bent) in foreign affairs which contributed to Aylwin and the Christian Democrat’s success. While free trade will remain a lodestone of the Chilean economy, the government will involve itself much more in infrastructure construction and child welfare per the Christian Democrats’ platform. Chile’s flirt with dictatorship has thankfully ended, and the army is fully behind the new president.
Little did the people of Chile know that they, and South America weren’t completely out of the woods yet.
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Augusto Pinochet today has a decidedly mixed legacy in Chile today. Many praise him for his leadership skills in Chile's time of need, with many on the right citing his attempted power grab as a misguided, though good intentioned attempt by Chile's statesman to protect his mother country, a blemish in his history, which should not undercount the positives. The outlook by the left and the center, was that instead, Pinochet had the makings of a dictator all along, which only showed once he began to lose public support after the war ended. The extension of quarantine measures, they say, was to keep the nation on a state of national emergency, so that pro-Pinochet candidates could maintain control of Parliament. When polls were beginning to go against their favor, they claim Pinochet couldn't stand this turn of events, and scared he could lose his next term too, decided to take measures to ensure he never lost power. Many on the right bring up two points in rebuttal, the first being being that Chile was a city on a hill of sorts, which
did require drastic measures to protect. This wasn't completely true, however, and likely anachronistic. Argentina for one, had a military government keeping some semblance of authority with the provisional government, as did Peru and Bolivia. The chaos in Brazil had only just started, and Uruguay was really the only country at the time in complete anarchy. The second whether Pinochet ever really had allowed the helicopter plan, or if that was an idea the provisional government set up. But according to one of Pinochet's old friends, Homero Juan Posadino, before running for the presidency, Pinochet had often joked about giving communists "free helicopter rides", a statement which deflates this second point. No matter how one looks at things, Pinochet has been a very influential figure, and his legacy will likely be debated for generations to come.