There is a sweet movie now playing in NYC at various cinemas. The
title is "NO". It is a fictional version of a referendum in Chile in
1988 run by the government of Pinochet to vote should Pinochet
continue to be the President of Chile - Yes or No?
Everyone was sure Pinochet would not let the NO vote win. Most people
seemed too scared to vote
The YES campaign and the NO campaign were each given 15 minutes per
night on National TV for 27 days. The film is about these TV
campaigns. It shows how respect for the people and a sense of
political purpose helped there to be a non violent removal of the
Pinochet dictatorship.
You can see trailers at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOeiw_BJPas
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturevideo/filmvideo/cinema-trailers/9758485/No-starring-Gael-Garcia-Bernal-trailer-exclusive.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=ZnweGbPbZNQ&NR=1
Also, you might find the Wikipedia entry of interest since it helps
clarify the historical event:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilean_national_plebiscite,_1988
I will paste the text below.
Take care.
Jay
========================
The 1988 Chilean national plebiscite was a national referendum held to
determine whether or not dictator Augusto Pinochet would extend his
rule for another eight-year term in office. It was held on 5 October
1988. The "No" side won with 55.99% of the vote, ending Pinochet's 16
years in power.
Army General Augusto Pinochet took power on September 11, 1973 in a
coup d'at which deposed the democratically-elected Socialist President
Salvador Allende. Allende killed himself[1] while the presidential
palace was being bombarded. A military junta .led by Pinochet, Air
Force General Gustavo Leigh, Navy Admiral JosToribio Merino, and
Carabinero Chief General Car Mendoza. was sworn in that same evening.
The following day, the four drafted an official document suspending
the 1925 constitution and Congress and establishing the Junta as
Chile.s supreme power. Pinochet was designated as its first President,
and the four verbally agreed to rotate the office. Shortly after, the
Junta established an advisory committee, which Pinochet was successful
in staffing with Army officers loyal to himself. One of their first
recommendations was to discard the idea of a rotating Presidency,
arguing it would create too many administrative problems and lead to
confusion.[2] In March 1974, six months after the Junta.s
establishment, Pinochet verbally attacked the Christian Democrat Party
and stated that there was no set timetable for the return to civilian
rule. On December 18, 1974 Pinochet was declared Supreme Leader of the
nation.[2] After that date, the junta functioned strictly as a
legislative body until the return to democracy in 1990.
On September 24, 1973, a commission was set up by the junta to draw up
a blueprint for a new constitution. By October 5, 1978, the commission
had finished its work. During the next two years, the proposal was
studied by the Council of State presided by former president Jorge
Alessandri, and in July 1980 it submitted a Constitution draft to
Pinochet and the Junta. A national plebiscite.regarded as "highly
irregular" by some observers[3].took place on September 11, 1980,
where the Constitution was approved by 67%. The Constitution, which
took effect in March 1981, established a "transition period," where
Pinochet would continue to exercise the executive power and the Junta
the legislative power, for the next eight years. Before that period
ended, a candidate for President was to be proposed by the Commanders
in Chief of the Armed Forces and Carabinero Chief General for the
following period of eight years. The candidate was to be ratified by
voters in a national plebiscite. On August 30, 1988 Pinochet was
declared the candidate.
Plebiscite
Original ballot.
The plebiscite .as detailed in the 1980 Constitution approved on 21
October 1980. consisted of two choices:
Yes: The proposed candidate is approved. Pinochet takes office on
March 11, 1989 for the following eight years and parliamentary
elections take place nine months after he is sworn in. The Junta
continues to exercise the legislative power until the newly elected
Congress takes office on March 11, 1990.
No: The proposed candidate is rejected. Pinochet and the Junta
continue in power for another year. Presidential and parliamentary
elections take place three months before Pinochet's term expires. The
newly elected President and Congress take office on March 11, 1990.
Results
Option Votes % Result
Yes 3,119,110 44.01
No 3,967,569 55.98 Proposal rejected
Valid votes 7,086,679 100.00
Null votes 94,594 1.30
Blank votes 70,660 0.97
Total votes 7,251,933 100.00
Registered voters 7,435,913 97.52% turnout
Voting-age population 8,173,014 90.98% registered
Aftermath
Following his defeat at the polls, Pinochet wanted to retain power,
but was forced to back down when the heads of the branches of the
military refused to support him.[4] Pinochet and opposition forces
agreed to revise the 1980 Constitution. The 54 proposed amendments
were approved by 94% of voters in a referendum on 30 July 1989.
Presidential and parliamentary elections took place as scheduled on 14
December 1989. The opposition candidate.Christian Democrat Patricio
Aylwin.won the election with 55% of the votes and took office on 11
March 1990. The newly elected Congress was sworn in that same day.
Popular culture
The 2012 film No presented a fictionalized account of the "No"
television campaign. To date, it is the only Chilean film to have been
nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
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