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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

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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