The story
On October 5, 1988, Chileans voted yes or no on whether General Augusto Pinochet should rule another eight years. No won with about 56 percent to 44 percent for Yes, on a turnout near 97 percent of 7.4 million registered voters. Pinochet, in power since the 1973 coup, accepted the result after a tense night, and free elections followed in December 1989.
The 1980 constitution had provided for a plebiscite on one candidate chosen by the junta, and Pinochet expected to win. By the mid-1980s, though, economic crisis, protests and pressure from the Church and abroad had grown. The banned opposition parties formed a broad alliance, the Concertacion, signed up millions of voters, and used their free daily airtime for a cheerful campaign built on 'Chile, happiness is coming'. Patricio Aylwin won the 1989 election and took office in March 1990. Pinochet stayed army commander until 1998, was arrested in London that year, and died in 2006 without a conviction. More than 3,000 people were killed or disappeared under his rule.
Why it mattered
- Led to free elections in 1989 and the return of civilian government under Patricio Aylwin in 1990.
- Ended 17 years of military rule in Chile, which had begun with the 1973 coup.
- Became a model of a peaceful, vote-based transition from dictatorship, studied around the world.
- Opened the way to truth commissions, including the Rettig Report in 1991, on abuses under Pinochet.
- Left in place parts of the 1980 constitution and Pinochet's role in the army, which Chile later revised.
Sources
- NDI and the Standing for Democracy over Military Dictatorship: Chile's 1988 Presidential Plebiscite National Democratic Institute
- The Story Of 'No' Is The Story Of Modern Chile NPR / KNAU
Drafted by AI (Claude) from the sources above and checked against them by AI; no historian has reviewed this page. Spot a mistake? Suggest a correction. How pages are made
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