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White to move and mate in two #525 -- A Force More Powerful [1]

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Date: 2024-06-20  

A Century of Nonviolent Conflict

When they got down to business, Pinochet said that he was counting on his colleagues to support him, implying that they were there to send out their forces to impose martial law. But then each of these proud senior career officers declined to go along. Disgusted, Pinochet said, “Okay, the Army will do it alone. We don’t need your help.” Then he asked them to sign a protocol. “What protocol?” they asked. His assistants brought in some papers. The officers read them over. It was a statement that the other members of the junta were transferring all their powers to Pinochet. One general tore it up right in front of the president and threw the pieces on the ground. Pinochet’s opponents now included his colleagues. It was over.

The “Commando de No” victory marked the end of the most strife-ridden period in Chile’s history, although not quite the beginning of full democracy or the end of the country’s agonizing relationship with Augusto Pinochet. When, over a year later, Patricio Aylwin swept to the presidency with more than 55 percent of almost 6 million votes, nearly twice that of the regime’s candidate, he would command the nation but not its armed forces. Pinochet still perched like a condor above the new government. The other junta leaders, if they wanted to, could stay in place until 1997.

But in the immediate afterglow of victory, the people of Chile could have been forgiven for celebrating the end of the nation’s political purgatory. On election night the streets of Santiago had been choked with Chileans waving flags and NO banners. As the National Police stood by stoically, demonstrators had blown their horns as they had on that night in May five years before, but this time they could cry aloud “Adios, Pinochet” and know they would not be arrested—and know in their hearts they had triumphed.

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