1973 Chilean parliamentary election

none Chile 1969 1989 4 March 1973 yes yes Chamber of Deputies All 150 seats in the Chamber of Deputies Confederation of Democracy (87 seats) Christian Democratic Party (Chile) 29.07 50 56 National Party (Chile, 1966) 21.51 34 33 Radical Democracy 1.94 2 New Radical Left 1.66 1 New Popular Unity (63 seats) Socialist Party of Chile 18.70 28 15 Communist Party of Chile 16.36 25 22 Radical Party of Chile 3.69 5 24 MAPU 2.55 2 New Christian Left 1.15 1 New Independent Popular Action 0.83 2 New yes yes Senate 25 of the 50 seats in the Senate Confederation of Democracy (30 seats) Christian Democratic Party (Chile) 33.88 19 22 National Party (Chile, 1966) 18.97 8 5 Radical Left 1.56 3 New Popular Unity (19 seats) Socialist Party of Chile 17.84 7 4 Communist Party of Chile 17.29 9 6 Radical Party of Chile 5.77 2 9 Christian Left – 1 New Other parties (1 seat) Popular Socialist Union (Chile) – 1 2 Parliamentary elections were held in Chile on 4 March 1973,Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II, p262 978-0-19-928358-3 They resulted in a victory for the Confederation of Democracy, an opposition alliance led by the National Party and the Christian Democratic Party. However, they were unable to secure the necessary two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove President Salvador Allende from office. The approval of Law No. 17,284 in 1970 led to a rise in voter participation. These elections marked the implementation of the reform on a nationwide scale, resulting in the highest level of voter engagement within the previous democratic system. Around 80.6% of the electorate (equivalent to 44% of the national population) were registered to vote, and 81% of the registered voters (approximately 3.7 million individuals) exercised their right to vote.http://www.memoriachilena.cl/archivos2/pdfs/mc0018630.pdf Electores, sufragio y democracia en Chile: una mirada histórica 2000 Background Since the early 1960s, the Chilean economy had experienced sustained inflationary growth, which continued under the Salvador Allende government and was considered a major factor in the economic crisis of 1972. In response to inflation, the government implemented the Vuskovic plan, aiming to increase state control over the economy. Measures included nationalizing companies and setting official prices through central planning. These interventions resulted in low wages, product shortages and the emergence of a black market. Additionally, the high inflation led to dissatisfaction among the upper and middle classes, as there was a significant expropriation of companies towards the private sector. This dissatisfaction culminated in the October 1972 strike, which aimed to halt expropriations, establish market-adjusted prices, and protect private property.Fermandois Capitulo XXI: Encrespamiento y Paro de Octubre 2013 Joaquín Santiago, Chile 567–569 Centro de Estudios Públicos Ediciones La Revolución Inconclusa. La izquierda chilena y el gobierno de la Unidad Popular The government faced numerous social demonstrations against its policies and the high cost of living. The right-wing and the Christian Democratic Party largely supported and participated in these mobilizations, aiming to discredit the government's policies, socially isolate them, and pressure for policy changes and the government's resignation. On another front, the Allende government continued the agrarian reform initiated by previous administrations but on a larger scale. More than six million hectares of land were expropriated and distributed among thousands of peasants and small landowners in rural Chile. This led to increased social and political divisions within the country, as different social groups had contrasting views on the government's measures and progress.June 2023 The discontent caused by these policies further polarized Chilean society. Ultimately, the country became divided into two major blocs, leading to a tense and polarized political climate.June 2023 Electoral system The term length for Senators was eight years, with around half of the Senators elected every four years. This election saw 25 of the 50 Senate seats up for election. Political parties and electoral pacts Before the elections several political parties underwent internal divisions and splintered into smaller factions. While the majority of Christian Democrats led the Freiist faction, other groups formed the Popular Unitary Action Movement (MAPU) and the Christian Left, which later joined the Popular Unity. Dissident radicals from the central leadership divided into two factions, Radical Democracy, a traditional right-wing group, and the Radical Left Party, a moderate social democratic faction that initially supported Allende but later became opposition in 1972. In anticipation of the elections, the Confederation of Democracy was established in July 1972. It was a coalition comprising center and right-wing parties including the Christian Democrats, National Party, Radical Left Party, Radical Democracy, and the National Democratic Party, all opposed to Popular Unity. Apart from these two primary electoral pacts, the Popular Socialist Union, a small left-wing group that had split from the Socialist Party, also participated in the elections. Opinion polls left|thumb|President Salvador Allende voting in the parliamentary elections of 1973. The political, social, and economic crisis gave an apparent advantage to the opposition. The polls predicted a favorable outcome for them, ranging between 58% and 62%. The election results, therefore, presented a dual scenario: while the opposition retained the majority, the Popular Unity had obtained more votes than expected, reaching 44.03% against the CODE's 55.70%. Despite being referred to as a surprising result, the truth was that the percentage of votes achieved by the left-wing coalition was practically the same as what the same parties had obtained in the parliamentary elections of 1969 (43.84%). The resulting balance of power would prevent the Senate from constitutionally accusing President Allende. Conduct right|thumb|Composition of the Chamber of Deputies for the period 1973–1977. Following the elections, allegations of electoral fraud emerged. An investigation by the Law School of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, led by Jaime del Valle and presented by Canal 13 on the evening of 17 July, established the existence of alleged electoral fraud estimated at 200,000 votes, based on supposed false registrations and manipulation of records.Inscripción obligatoria, voto voluntario http://viva-chile.cl/2009/02/inscripcion-obligatoria-voto-voluntario/ The director of the Electoral Registry, Andrés Rillón, dismissed the accusations, stating that the complaint itself did not prove the existence of fraud.https://culturadigital.udp.cl/dev/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/LN_1973_07_20.pdf Denuncia electoral no prueba existencia de fraude La Nación 1973-07-20 2025-06-25 PDF 8 es At the same time, the director of the Civil Registry and Identification Service, Heriberto Benquis, ruled out the alleged fraudulent registration of citizens.https://culturadigital.udp.cl/dev/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/LN_1973_07_19.pdf Andrés Rillón: Denuncia sobre fraude electoral solo pretende sembrar dudas La Nación 1973-09-19 2025-06-25 PDF 46 es https://culturadigital.udp.cl/dev/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/LN_1973_07_20.pdf Tribunal Calificador reconoció legitimidad del acto electoral La Nación 1973-07-20 2025-06-25 PDF 14 es The pro-government press reported that Jaime del Valle had manipulated the identification data of some of the voters presented in the investigation, replacing digits in their ID numbers.https://culturadigital.udp.cl/dev/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/LN_1973_07_21.pdf Del Valle adulteró cédulas para dar pie al fraude La Nación 1973-07-21 2025-06-25 PDF 21 es The allegations were examined by an Investigative Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, which was established on 24 July but ceased its operations when Congress was dissolved after the 11 September coup d'état.1994 Las Fuerzas Armadas y Carabineros de Chile: su regulación constitucional y orgánica constitucional 9789561013131 https://books.google.com/books?id=RBmMQE7JOmkC&dq=fraude+electoral+chile+1973&pg=PA111 Bascuñán Alejandro Silva Editorial Jurídica de Chile During a session of the Commission for the Study of the New Constitution, it established the practical ineffectiveness of the electoral records and the need of purification.1997 Tratado de derecho constitucional: Congreso Nacional : bases generales, composición y atribuciones del Congreso y de las Cámaras : estatuto de la función parlamentaria 9789561010765 https://books.google.com/books?id=k0LpNJQLvb0C&dq=fraude+electoral+chile+1973&pg=PA39 Rodríguez Mario Duvauchelle Editorial Jurídica de Chile Consequently, the registers were declared void by Decree Law No. 130 on 19 November 1973 and destroyed on 6 July 1974.13 November 1973 Decreto Ley Nº 130 de 1973, declara la caducidad de los registros electorales de Chile http://es.wikisource.org/wiki/Decreto_Ley_N%C2%BA_130_de_1973,_declara_la_caducidad_de_los_registros_electorales_de_Chile In October 1986, with the Chilean Electoral Service replacing the former Electoral Registry Directorate, new voter registries were opened.https://www.servel.cl/2023/11/21/servel-inauguro-exhibicion-con-imagenes-y-documentos-de-la-destruccion-de-los-registros-electorales/ Servel inauguró exhibición con imágenes y documentos de la destrucción de los Registros Electorales 21 November 2023 22 November 2023 Servicio Electoral de Chile es Results Senate Won Total Confederation of Democracy 6 Christian Democratic Party 745274 10 19 National Party 417311 4 8 Radical Democracy 47992 0 0 Radical Left Party 34334 0 3 CODE list votes 14432 0 0 1259343 14 30 Popular Unity 7 Socialist Party 392469 5 7 Communist Party 380460 5 9 Radical Party 126961 1 2 Popular Unitary Action Movement 23191 0 0 Popular Unity list votes 17431 0 0 Christian Left – 1 940512 11 19 Popular Socialist Union 1 4510060 Electoral Service, State Department Chamber of Deputies Confederation of Democracy 7 Christian Democratic Party 1055120 50 –6 National Party 780480 34 +1 Radical Democracy 70582 2 New Radical Left Party 60166 1 New National Democratic Party 13349 0 0 CODE list votes 33895 0 – 2013592 87 –2 Popular Unity 8 Socialist Party 678796 28 +13 Communist Party 593738 25 +3 Radical Party 133745 5 –19 Popular Unitary Action Movement 92592 2 New Christian Left 41589 1 New Independent Popular Action 29972 2 New Popular Unity list votes 34738 0 – 1605170 63 +2 Popular Socialist Union 10287 0 0 58056 0 4510060 Electoral Service References Category:Parliamentary elections in Chile Chile Parliamentary Chile Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results