The new politics in the post-dictatorship Chile: Passivity Citizen or clientelism from below? (1990-1996)

Abstract

In Chile, the governments that followed Pinochet’s military dictatorship have generally been analyzed from a political-institutional perspective and mostly interpreted as a product of “political engineering” carried out by the leaders of the center-left coalition, the political right and the so called poderes fácticos” (de facto powers). This article explores the role of the Chilean citizenry in the configuration of post dictatorship politics. It argues that far from remaining passive or mere observers of the events that were unfolding in the country, citizens expressed demands and concerns that contributed to the re-shaping of Chilean politics. This process began at the local level like the Municipalities, where people saw the clearest access to power. It was there that the “new Chilean politics “, depoliticized and pragmatic, was born and encouraged.