go to homepage

Chile in 2003

Chile , Sept. 11, 2003, marked the 30th anniversary of the military coup that resulted in the overthrow of the democratic government of Socialist Pres. Salvador Allende Gossens and the installation of Gen. Augusto Pinochet Ugarte as president of Chile; the event remained a lightning rod for the many relatives of the estimated 4,000 people who were killed or went missing during the Pinochet era. Events that harked back to that period, such as the erection of a statue of Allende near the presidential palace, still elicited strong public debates and protests and laid bare the polarized political camps that continued to exist.

The year began with political scandals that threatened the ruling Concertación coalition when major coalition figures were placed under judicial investigation. Former public works minister Carlos Cruz had allegedly been involved in activities that included irregular payments and kickbacks to ministerial staff members, and five Concertación congressional deputies were accused of having taken bribes to influence congressional votes. In mid-January the five deputies were barred from exercising their congressional responsibilities while under investigation; as a result, for several months the Concertación had the slimmest of majorities—one vote—in the Chamber of Deputies. One of the five, Socialist Deputy Juan Pablo Letelier, the son of murdered diplomat Orlando Letelier, was cleared of all charges in August. These events brought to light serious underlying problems, such as the lack of regulations and public financing for campaigns—a particularly acute problem for Concertación candidates who did not have the same easy access to financing as did right-wing candidates—and the difficulty government officials had in hiring highly qualified people to staff ministries, given historically low salaries. The scale of the scandals and especially the involvement of Cruz hurt the government’s image. Scandals also touched the right; among them was an allegation in October by a right-wing deputy that three Chilean politicians had been involved in sex parties with Claudio Spiniak, who had been arrested in September for serious sex-related crimes.

On the positive side, there were important gains in the area of human rights. Judicial investigations continued to mount against members of the armed forces for violations during military rule (1973–90). Among those brought to trial was retired general Manuel Contreras—former head of the Pinochet secret police force, the DINA—who had already served time for the car-bomb murder of Orlando Letelier. Contreras was convicted in April and sentenced to 15 years in prison for the 1975 killing of Miguel Sandoval. In June, Army Commander in Chief Gen. Juan Emilio Cheyre acknowledged the military’s lamentable role in the human rights abuses during the Pinochet years and pledged “never again” to resort to military intervention.

Despite increasing opposition to the cost of the government’s Plan AUGE, which was designed to provide coverage for 56 common illnesses, the administration of Pres. Ricardo Lagos Escobar remained committed to its major health initiative.

On the economic front, Chile appeared to be working its way out of recession. Although unemployment remained high, economic growth for 2003 was 3.5%, while inflation stayed low, at 3%. Chile’s balance of trade was positive and growing. The price of copper, a prime export, also increased during the year. Lagos’s team also finalized free-trade agreements with South Korea and Singapore and, most important, one with the U.S. that would become effective in January 2004. In October, Chile assumed the chair of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

Chile’s close relationship with the U.S. was tested during the year when Chile voted against a U.S. invasion of Iraq at the UN Security Council. This occurred at precisely the same time that the two countries were in the process of approving the free-trade agreement.

Quick Facts
Area: 756,096 sq km (291,930 sq mi)
Population (2003 est.): 15,326000
Capitals: Santiago (national) and Valparaíso (legislative)
Head of state and government: President Ricardo Lagos Escobar
Chile in 2003
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Harvard
  • Chicago
You have successfully emailed this.
Error when sending the email. Try again later.
Edit Mode
Chile in 2003
Tips For Editing




Leave Edit Mode

You are about to leave edit mode.


Thank You for Your Contribution!



Uh Oh


Email this page