Chile Congress suspended

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32873, 23 March 1972, Page 13

Chile Congress suspended

(N.Z.P-A.-Reuter— Copyright)

SANTIAGO, March 22.

Both Houses of the Chilean Congress were closed today, as President Salvador Allende faced a two-pronged assault on his authority.

In a move unprecedented since he won power 17 months ago, the 63-year-old President last night used his constitutional power to suspend sittings of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies until next Tuesday. The order was delivered to Parliament by Justice Ministry Under-Secretary (Mr Jose Viera Gallo) who explained that Dr Allende had acted to facilitate secret conversations he is having with leaders of the main opposition party, the Christian Democrats. At the same time, the President was studying a demand by the Chilean Supreme Court that his Government take immediate action to end illegal land seizures by peasants egged on by Left-wing militants in the south province of Nuble.

A Supreme Court statement yesterday said that a state of anarchy prevailed in the province, where more than 50 illegal occupations of farmland and buildings have been reported in the last four days. » The take-over appears to have been planned by cadres of the Mao-influenced Leftwing Revolution Movement (M.1.R.) which accuses Dr Allende’s Popular Unity Coalition Government of dawdling in its efforts to trans-

form Chile into a fully socialist republic. The M.I.R. tends to the view that socialism will never be achieved by democratic means and advocates armed struggle against the “bourgeoisie.” At the other extreme of the political spectrum, women opponents of Dr Allende confirmed yesterday that they would hold a protest march through the streets of Santiago on Friday. A similar march last December. caused violent clashes between Left and Right-wing militants, leading to martial law.