MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chilean Congress ends with military tutelage

In a solemn joint house session Chilean Congress overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday a package of constitutional reforms which now fully reflect the “democratic spirit of the Chilean people”, said President Ricardo Lagos.

"It's a great day for Chile", highlighted president Lagos adding that the current 1980 constitution "was born as an expression of an authoritarian (military) regime, which did not express the feeling of the majority of Chileans, or national unity".

The approved reforms entitle the Chilean president to remove any and all commanders of the three services and from the military police or Carabineros.

The National Security Council is no longer the guarantor of institutions but rather an advisory body which will meet and debate when convened by the President.

As of March 2006, there will no longer be nominated or for life Senators.

Presidential mandate is cut from six to four years with no immediate re-election.

The constitutional court is the only court in the land with the exclusive responsibility of interpreting the constitution and constitutionality of bills.

The Lower House can name inquiry and/or monitoring committees with the approval of two fifths of elected Deputies.

On closing the session Senate president Sergio Romero said "we are before a new beginning which signals the definitive end of the prolonged political transition, based on an exemplary constitutional consensus".

"We look forward to a closer relation between the electorate and its elected representatives, new spaces of participation which will help consolidate economic development and a better quality of life for all Chileans", he added.

"I trust and hope that as we have reached a consensus on the Constitution, further on we can reach a consensus on the electoral system which really reflects the feeling of Chileans", said President Lagos.

When Chile returned to elected rule in 1990 it inherited the Pinochet constitution which gave the military an overwhelming tutoring role limiting presidential involvement in military affairs and in constitutional reform. In Congress a (right wing pro military) minority was ensured veto power.

With the strong support from conservative and pro-Pinochet elected Congress members reforms never really took off until the early 2000, spurred also by the deterioration of the figure of the apparently until then incorruptible former dictator.

However the old electoral system persists, which favors with a bench in each electoral circumscription the minority (usually conservative) party, and thus ensuring votes to uphold vetoes.

This is the next major political reform but will have to wait until 2006 when the new government takes office. Chilean elections are scheduled for next December.