KATE HANLINE
Government Column
Chile ’ s Government
Chile has a long history of unstable government .. The most famous coup Chile ever saw was spearheaded by Augusto Pinochet , Army Chief of Staff . In the 1970 ’ s he forced President Allende out , and himself into the position of President . His goal was to eliminate the Marxist party . He suspended parliament , banned all political activity , and stopped all civil liberties . Pinochet ' s dictatorship led to the capture , torture , executions , and murders of thousands of Chileans . It has been found that almost 28,000 people were tortured during his rule , and there were over 3,200 disappearances and murders . The economy was in poor conditions due to inflation .. In 1989 , Pinochet it was wondered whether he should remain in power . He retired from office in Jan . 1990 , and Patricio Aylwin took his place . Slowly , the country and ecomomy began to improve . Pinochet had kept his post as army commander in chief after his dictatorship and finally resigned March 1998 . In Oct . of 1998 , he was arrested and held in England on an extradition charge put out by a Spanish judge who searched for Pinochet due to his major involvment with the disappearances of the thousands of Spanish citizens during his rule in Chile . His extradition was denied and Pinochet returned to Chile in March of 2000 . Dec . 2006 , he died at age the age of 91 . he never faced trial for the abuses of his 17-year dictatorship , but the country of Chile was , at last rid of him .