26 CultureShock! Chile
not have the answers. A new party, the Christian Democrats,
emerged in the late 1950s. Its goal was to make Chile a
more just and equitable society through social reform. While
the right was not comfortable with these reformist ideas, it
feared a possible victory by the left, and therefore pledged its
support to the Christian Democrat candidate, Eduardo Frei
Montalva. It is important to note that while Frei won the 1964
presidential election with 56 per cent of the vote, Allende,
who had run once again, received 39 per cent.The legislative branch, formerly housed in this building, refl ected the deep
divisions between Chile’s main political forces.