Legitimacy-
The last election was legitimate and fair, although only 42% of those able to vote voted, and Michelle Bachelet won with 62% of the votes.
Current President-
The current President of Chile is Michelle Bachelet. She served from 2006-2010 and was elected again in 2013 to serve from 2014-2018.
Ms. Bachelet was elected on a liberal platform for gay marriage, abortion, free education, tax reform, and a new constitution. Her supporters like her because of her plans for these items. On the other hand, the Conservatives dislike her for exactly the same reasons.
Organization-
On the National Level, Chile has three branches of government. The Executive Branch which is the president and her cabinet. The President is elected every 4 years, and can only serve for 1 consecutive term. The Legislative Branch is next, also known as the National Congress of Chile which consists of the Upper House (Senate of Chile) and the Lower House (Chamber of Deputies of Chile). Finally there is the Judicial Branch which consists of the Supreme Court, one Constitutional Court, 16 Courts of Appeal, 84 Oral Criminal Tribunals and Guarantee Judges; 7 Military Tribunals; over 300 Local Police Courts; and many other specialized Tribunals and courts in matter of family, labor, customs, taxes, electoral affairs, etc.
On the Regional and Local Levels, there are 244 Regional Council members who along with the Mayors, elect the local governments.
Military Power-
Chile's Military is ranked #43 in the world. Currently, the military does not have a great influence in Chilean politics. This is mainly because of the military coup of 1973 in which General Agusto Pinochet over turned the democratically elected socialist government and created a brutal dictatorship. Since the end of his reign in 1990, Chile has been more careful to not let it happen again, as it is still a touchy spot.
No comments:
Post a Comment