Confederation of Democracy

Confederation of Democracy Confederación de la Democracia
Leader	Eduardo Frei Montalva Sergio Onofre Jarpa
Founded	July 6, 1972
Dissolved	May 20, 1973
Headquarters	Santiago
Political position	Centre-right
Colours	Blue
Politics of Chile Political parties Elections

The Confederation of Democracy (Spanish: Confederación de la Democracia, CODE) was an electoral alliance of center-right Chilean political parties formed in July 1972. Its main purpose was to unite all the opposition parties of the Popular Unity government to face the parliamentary elections on March 1973. Its main objective was to optimize the collection of votes and seats, and accomplish the majority of Congress and thus obtain at least two thirds of the deputies.

History

There were two opposing views between the parties who were against Allende's government. On one hand, the National Party (PN) and the Radical Democracy Party (DR) who saw it as a way of defeating the UP parties. The Christian Democratic Party (PDC), along with the Radical Left Party (PIR) and the National Democratic Party (PADENA), saw in the coalition a way to control the UP within the legal framework.^[1]

On June 9, 1972 the Electoral Court allowed the creation of electoral coalitions (or federated or confederated parties according to the law) in the elections of the National Congress of March 1973. This sentence repealed a 1962 ruling banning pacts, who were allowed only in the senators elections since 1960.

His first action, albeit unofficial, was in the by-elections of January 1972, in which the CODE defeated the UP and rescue a congressman and a senator.

This coalition consisted of two federations of parties:

• The Federation of Democratic Opposition (FOD, Federación de Oposición Democrática) composed of the PDC, PIR and PADENA.
• The National Radical Democracy Federation (FNDR, Federación Nacional Democracia Radical) composed of the National Party and Radical Democracy Party.

According to the results in the parliamentary elections of 1973 the CODE won the majority of the Chamber of Deputies, but did not obtain a two-thirds majority (100 deputies) that would have allowed him to block any constitutional reform and conduct an impeachment against President Allende. This last point was the objective of CODE. After installing the new National Congress in May 1973 the CODE was dissolved.^[2]

Program

The CODE's goals and program have been based on:^[3]

• Liberty and labor rights
• Better freedom of speech and information
• Change of the Chilean Constitution
• Ending of the political violence and law and order policies
• Normalization of the political situation.

Composition

Party		Main ideology
	Christian Democratic Party	Christian democracy
	National Party	Liberal conservatism
	Radical Democracy	Classical liberalism
	Social Democracy Party	Social democracy
	National Democratic Party	Populism

Electoral results

Chamber of Deputies
Election year	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	+/–
1973	2,013,592 (#1)	55.49	87 / 150	New

Senate
Election year	# of overall votes	% of overall vote	# of overall seats won	+/–
1973	1,259,343 (#1)	57.25	14 / 25	New

References

1. Friedmann, Reinhard (1988). La política chilena de la A a la Z. 1964-1988 (in Spanish). Santiago de Chile: Editorial Melquíades.
2. Library of the Chilean National Congress. "Confederación de la democracia". Historia Política Legislativa (in Spanish). Retrieved November 2, 2013.
3. Friedmann, Reinhard (1988). La política chilena de la A a la Z. 1964-1988 (in Spanish). Editorial Melquíades.