SS See By Paul M. Schiff SANTIAGO, CHILE (Capturing 43.39% of the vote, the Uni- dad Popular (UP) coalition won a decisive victory in the March 4th Congres- sional elections in Chile. After more than two years in office, Salvador Allende enjoys greater popular support than any other Chilean President in recent decades. In the Presidential elections of Sep- tember 1970 Allende received 36.2%, the reactionary Alessandri 34.9%, and the Christian Democrat Tomic 27.8%. The Above, left: leading the campaign march of the JJ.CC (Communist Youth) in January are, right, Gladys Marin, Secretary General of the JJ.CC and, next to her, Alejandro Rojas, preside” i of the Student Federation of the University of Chile, both victorious candidates of the Communist Party to the Chamber of Deputies; above right: a contingent of Pioneers, Chilean youns Second, the high UP vote is at the same time a powerful barrier against civil war. The reactionaries will have great difficulty mobilizing significant sectors of the opposition against such a solid pro-government mass base. The . seditious plotters will have to face the fact that the votes of factory workers, ’ miners and campesinos are worth far more than those of frightened upper and upper-middle class elements — who are deciding whether to remain in Chile or emigrate. Moreover, the bulk of workers, employees, professionals and campesinos who cast their votes for the opposition sters who are the responsibility of the Communist youth organization. opposition vote dropped from 61.7 to 54.7% in less than two and a half years. The size of the UP vote surpassed the most optimistic expectations of UP lead- ers. Prior to the election Allende stated that the UP would be Satisfied if it equalled or bettered its 1970 vote and that it would consider anything over 40% a great victory. There was a general con- census within the UP that recent econom- ic difficulties had diminished popular support for the government, especially among women and middle sectors. In contrast, the results left the oppo- sition forces utterly dismayed. Virtually all opposition spokesmen were predicting that the so-called Confederation of the Democracy (CODE). the electoral al- liance grouping the National, Christian Democratic and three smaller parties, would receive at least 60%. Most were assuring that CODE would get between 65 and 70% and the UP. between 29 and 33%. In fact. two days after the results were calculated opposition leaders were still claiming more than 60% of the vote and crying ‘‘fraud!” : What is the significance of the UP victory? First. the election results ended all reactionary dreams of a ‘‘constitutional’”’ coup d’etat. If the opposition had elected two thirds of the new Congress it would have been able to impeach the President. Now the only road open to the most reac- tionary forces — who don’t believe they can survive another 3 years and 8 months of Popular Government — is outright sedition. parties, and especially for the Christian Democrats, want no part of a civil war. Finally, the opposition captured 380,000 more women votes but only 32,000 more male votes. This is an important factor in calculating the correlation of forces for any possible extra-constitutional conflict. Third, the UP established itself as the only force that can govern Chile. In con- trast to the UP parties united behind a common program and the Popular Gov- ernment, the National and Christian Democratic parties (PN and PDC) could only mouth similar platitudes (liberty, democracy, reconstruction, etc.). They were incapable of holding a single joint rally for their candidates and after the election they celebrated their ‘‘victories”’ separately. It was clear throughout the campaign that each of these parties was primarily concerned with increasing its own congressional representatives — at the expense of the other. The dirty tac- | tics of the Nationals so antagonized many PDC’ers that they called for the abolition of CODE immediately after the election. Although the leaders of the PN have called for the continuation of CODE as a permanent alliance against ‘‘Marx- ism,”’ and although ex-President Frei needs the support of the PN in his bid to recover the Presidency in 1976, the main- tenance of the alliance will create grave problems within the PDC. Many PDC leaders and militants could justify an electoral alliance with the PN in order to retain the PDC’s congressioal represen- PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 1973—-PAGE 10 WORLD MAGAZINE AEEO-LEX cater side WMG Gh TU Alogi FP ADAR=ENET OF HO6A NG YAGISS—-IMURAT DADAF tation and to prevent the UP from captur- ing an absolute majority in Congress. But they are well aware that the PN leaders are — in the words of the PDC President only three years ago — “the nazis of yesterday, today and always.” If the dominant, reactionary Frei forces in the PDC impose a policy of permanent alliance with the PN, there may be signi- ficant displacements of PDC forces toward the UP. Fourth, the UP victory meant ‘‘more parliamentarians for the people”: six more deputies and two more senators. The big winners were the Socialist and Communist parties (PS and PC), thus Strengthening the weight of the working- class parties within the UP. The PS - elected 13 additional deputies (15 to 28) and jumped from 4 to 7 senators. The Communist increase was less spectacular — from 22 to 25 deputies and from 6 to 9 senators. But the PC lost at least two deputies due to the bad distribution of votes among its candidates in certain regions, and it contributed decisively to the victories of two small-party candi- dates. The PC. vote reflected its growing support in most traditional urban and mining strongholds and significant ad- vances in several central and southern agricultural provinces, where the PC elected deputies for the first time ever. ‘The PS and PC elected 53 of the 63 UP deputies and 10 of the 11 UP senators. The Radical Party (PR) elected 5 depu- ties and 1 senator; and the other three UP parties elected the remaining 5 deputies. Among the 63 deputies are 10 women, in- cluding 6 Communists. The PC senator, Julieta Campusano, was also reelected. The Communist Mapuche Indian leader, Rosendo Huenuman, was elected deputy with the highest individual vote in the conservative province of Cautin — the only Mapuche elected to Congress. Particularly satisfying for the UP and the Radical Party was the virtual dis- appearance of the two anti-Communist Radical factions grouped in CODE. The arch-reactionary Democratic Radicals (PDR) lost 2 of its 4 deputies and its 2 senators; the so-called Left Radicals (which split from the PR after Allende’s faziizises §— § CVS 6 eS weer ww AThOC CORSA nese eee ens victory, passed to the opposition, and e now preparing to merge with the lost 8 of its 9 deputies and its 2 senators | up for re-election. The PR vote pe than: doubled that of the two anti-Co munist factions. : ry Although the UP’s parliamenta strength is still insufficient to guaran the complete fulfillment of the UP gram, its greater congressional weight aa and the weight in general of the Pe government forces — may influence behavior of some opposition elements. it Fifth, the UP captured almost, of the male vote and over 38% of e 108 paul scnif! os Pi e dis male vote. What is striking 15 not he fac! parity, which is nothing new, DUP © cent that the UP received such a hig ite the age of the women’s vote — ie : economic difficulties, the shor!@® athe long lines for basic food products rela! special éfforts of the opposition wets the feminine vote. The high UP tage d vote proves that a great perce’, the women in the popular classes i aware of who was responsible el difficulties. ne $ There are other good reas lt growing women’s support for ands at? Government. Many more hus? pal employed and bringing home Tee 1, si? Special payments based on ie have increased. The governme? By ol in the areas of health, education an nave ing, as well as the Agrarian Refo thoes benefited lower-class families: den’ the reactonaries in congre rs, al financing for child-care cente™ ne have been set up with non-gové tsi funds — particularly with ne ove™ tions of Communist congressme rnc ment officials and other hié deli rf] ; aries. A new state firm now 80,000 meals daily (completely mat and at extremely low prices neat? factory workers to bring hom® 49 serve. As all of these measures sit ge the fF if aa Cs are extended and the econom! on Wl improves, more and more W° won for the Revolution. conti : In sum, the Chilean people im their march toward true 14 pendence and socialism. ao