World JUAN PABLOLETELIER...sonofslain foreign minister says opposition needs a 60 per cent win in Chile. TRIBUNE PHOTO — DAN KEETON It’s the ‘last supper’ for Pinochet: Letelier Chileans fighting for a return to demo- cracy in the upcoming national elections this December face several electoral road- blocks in their effort to defeat the “mons- ter” who has ruled the South Amerigan nation since the bloody coup of 1973. But Juan Pablo Letelier, a candidate and son of a former government minister who was assassinated by Chile’s secret police, is confident that a coalition of left and centre parties will win by a large majority. “We have no doubt that we will win,” Letelier told a Vancouver press conference before addressing an audience in La Quena coffee house Sept. 7. The U.S.-born and educated Letelier, an economist and human rights activist who heads the South American Commission for Peace, Regional Security and Democracy, is contesting a seat in the fertile and mineral-rich District 6 south of Santiago, the nation’s capital. Containing El Teniente copper mine, the richest in southern Chile, it is known for its left-labour militancy and is one of the electoral areas most likely to return a progressive member to the Chamber of Deputies. Letelier represents a coalition of parties opposed to the continued’ rule of dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet. It includes 17 left- wing parties, including Communists, and the centre-right Christian Democrats. Letelier expects the united opposition of traditional rivals grouped around a com- mon program of economic, social and polit- ical change to prove vastly more popular than the discredited Pinochet. But it will not be operating in a “normal” election, he stressed. “The elections are rigged, and anti- democratic in their content. “The elections are not normal. Not only are our leaders still in exile, not only are we still weeping for our dead (but) Pinochet is still in power,” Letelier said. Chile’s anti-democratic constitution, imposed by Pinochet but modified some- Vote ‘one more stage in struggle’ By ARDIS HARRIMAN September is the month that saw both the triumph (1970) and the fall (1973) of Chile’s last democratically-elected president, Sal- vador Allende. This year, September is the month when the current campaign will get underway, winding up on election day, Dec. 14. senawreare the presidency, 120 deputies’ Pinochet in accordaints—with seven more stitutional reforms approved by picGienerq] July. uaksiinanay: the electoral race has been rigged. The Concertacion of 17 parties, a mixed group of right, centre and left-wing, have chosen Christian Democrat Patricio Ayl- win as their presidential candidate. He also has the support of the Partido Por La Democracia (PPD), a group of centre-left parties and well-known personalities, as well as of the Partido Amplio de la Izquierda Socialists (PIAS), a broad group composed of Marxist parties (CP, MIR- Renovacion, the Socialist Party-Almeyda) and the Christian Left, MAPU, MAPU- Obrero-Campesino (MOC) as well as the Radical Party. : Among the more extreme right wing and fascist circles, things aren’t so clear. Three candidates are registered: Dr. Fernando Monckeberg, a well-known nutritionist and pediatrician; the ex-minister of finance, Hernan Buchi, and businessman Francisco Javier Errazuriz (known as “Fra-Fra’’). He recently suffered a heart attack when 8 e Pacific Tribune, September 18, 1989 government auditors took over his National Bank of Chile for alleged violations. Buchi, with page-boy hairdo and yuppie lifestyle, was responsible for Chile’s so- called ‘economic miracle” and has his grea- test support from the armed forces, Pinochet and the most powerful business sectors. He is also backed by the right-wing Independent Democratic Union and has forced onto the sidelines Sergio Onofre Jarpa, president of the Renovacion Nacional. >%tpougsh a shrewd and experienced politi- Ness CITCles to-~4-n9 didn’t receive enough Recent polls show tar. Ss St favour Aylwin, and 28.3 per cent rate tis closest rival. Although it’s impossible to predict exactly what will happen until Ayl- win actually takes office as president, it is already well-known that the constitution, with the “reforms” approved in the July plebiscite which will take effect March 11, 1990, will not give the new president broad enough powers to modify it in a way that will mean a real return to democracy. According to this new reforms, Pinochet will continue as General and Commander- in-Chief of the Army for eight years. He will also remain as Chief of the Marines, Air Force and Police for four years. The National Security Council will be. composed of four civil and four military members and Pinochet retains the right to hand pick seven senators. This means that even though the opposition has a parlia- mentary majority, it will never be able to attain the percentage required by the consti- tution to make any amendments. The July plebiscite made only cosmetic changes to the constitution, and it is still light years away from signifying a transition to democracy. In fact, it is quite the reverse — it will enable the regime to con- solidate its power even further no matter what the results of the Dec.14 election. Pinochet stays as Commander-in-Chief. The Central Bank is immovable with one director named by him. The Supreme Court is immovable with judges named by him. Television is privatized and governed by a Pinochet-named board. The reforms also Non grize Pinochet to dictate a new law for In short, Pinda.the armed forces such power, the generator of his 6WuThat can who now has legal, constitutional powers even to the point of allowing him to repres- ent those who are to be elected by the peo- ple, should he feel it necessary to do so. The constitutional reform also gives him still greater power to repress those whose ideas are contrary to his own and allows him to make illegal any group that does not respect the constitution. ‘ So it’s obvious the election is rigged in favour of Pinochet. It’s clear the constitu- tional reforms and the Dec. 14 vote won’t mean any real or profound change. They are just another stage in the struggle of the Chilean people against a powerful and intransigent enemy. Ardis Harriman is co-ordinator of Toronto Action for Chile. : | é what in a plebiscite in July, still effective ( curbs public activities by left-wing grouP Additionally, Pinochet has reserved power to appoint nine of Chile’s 38 senato” in the upper house, and he plans to ret the head of the military after the electio® In response, Chile’s opposition parti F have formed a coalition and are backing 4 presidential bid of Christian Democl@ party leader Patricio Aylwin. a Traditionally, the left and the Christi Democrats have been electoral opponent but as Letelier told the La Quena audien “People misjudge what the Christil j Democrats are. They are not left wing (bu they are not the main enemy.” “The Christian Democrats strengti the left, but only because the left is still 0 strong enough.” | Letelier_ said Chile’s coalition of # centre-right and left parties is based on “pillars” of agreement: democratizing !2 governments (currently mayors are app! ed by Pinochet); eliminating the povel! amo afflicting five million of Chile’s 11 milll®’ cow people through a program of full empl) expl ment and ending the privatization of 8° tion programs; and seeking justice throu elimination of the “impunity” laws pro! ing torturers and other human rights abl ers. Letelier was 12 when his father Orla Letelier, was made foreign affairs minis! — in Allende’s government, shortly before!’ coup in 1973. The elder Letelier was im? soned by the junta and following his rel f moved the family to the United States. died, along with an aide, from a car bom Washington, D.C. in 1976, a vic G&G Chile’s former secret police agency. lyze The younger Letelier returned to chile deep] 1983 to work with the National Com™ corre sion for Youth Rights. He has orga! on hy human rights centres and anti-goverm™ have protests, and has pursued legal ac! years against human rights abuses by © the o government. ' Pite g “T’ve had my share of problems thet Temo he told reporters, citing phone tapP! still threats, harassment, jailings and robbe™ ‘prot Torturing and mass human rights 20”, walk have lessened in recent years as Pinocht buy ¢ grip on the country grows weaker, Le ft said. But as the recent assassination of J® that Neghne, vice-president of the left coalll” ten PAIS, shows, it is still dangerous to OPP” cho, the junta in Chile. (Neghne, spokesp® , the p for the left-wing MIR, was slain bY 4 Sovic unknown assailant Sept. 4 outside M Separ headquarters in Santiago.) By: Entire “Yes, we fear for our lives,” Letelief Re reporters, “These people are savages fi comp are capable of doing the most barb apart things. ; 4 Sovie “(But) people have lost much of their Proyj in Chile. We defeated the monster W!™ ters, , pencil (and) now we are governed ¥) hard defeated general.” ume Pinochet lost a plebiscite last fall a “deri Chileans yoted overwhelmingly agains!” goog. tions 1s‘znle and for national electiO™, again Comn no ftom But the human rights activist was ni and dent that the dictator would be #! 3 following the elections. And, Letelie' Wellec “J will personally try to bring him to) ¢ their My interest is not vengeance, my inte tigou, for the Chilean people.” e| Every Noting the then upcoming annivé Q) Steen the coup, Letelier told the La | far ar audience: “Next week, you will able t fl here: brate the ‘last supper’ — the last Se Certal with Pinochet in power.” .