32 CultureShock! Chile
deny Pinochet another presidential term. Although the
‘No’ campaign received substantial aid from international
agencies in terms of both organisation and financing, it was
a Chilean movement. By this time, self-exiles had begun to
return in order to help precipitate Pinochet’s end. Again, to
say that foreign powers brought about the end of the military
regime would overemphasise their role.A Narrow Defeat
Pinochet stepped down in 1990 after negotiations with
the incoming democratic government. According to some
accounts, he ultimately disregarded the advice of some of
his closest advisors who recommended that he keep ruling
by force. It is very important to remember that although
he lost, Pinochet received 40 per cent of the vote. That
means that after 16 years in power, a substantial share of
the population still supported his policies. We have found,
in talking with people from democratic countries, that
there is an overwhelming assumption that all Chileans were
against Pinochet. How could anyone support a dictatorship
that systematically violated human rights? Yet, if one
fully understands the situation before the coup—severe
economic problems and fear of communist take-over—it
begins to make some sense. The Pinochet government
played upon these old fears and focused on the flourishing
economy during the campaign.The Ghostbusters
Following the victory of the ‘No’ campaign, a presidential
election was called for December 1989 to choose a
transitional government. The Christian Democrats joined
with the ‘democratic left’—the Socialist Party and the Party
for Democracy (PPD) and a number of fringe parties—to
form the Concertación. Although political parties had been
outlawed during the military regime, the large parties were
never fully disbanded. The Concertación chose Patricio
Aylwin, a Christian Democrat, as its candidate. A lawyer and
college professor, Aylwin was a former member of Congress
and party leader. The right-wing candidate was Hernán