Chile’s Pinochet looks beyond 1989

Press, 17 December 1985, Page 12

Chile’s Pinochet looks beyond 1989

By

SIMON ALTERMAN,

of Reuter, in Santiago

The Chilean President, Augusto Pinochet, who has just turned 70, has been jogging and lifting weights for the cameras as he shapes up for what could be a prolonged extension of his 12 years in power. Diplomats and politicians say the birthday workout, as well as top-level personnel changes and recent comments by General Pinochet himself, suggest he is looking beyond the end of, his presidential term in 1989.

“Without doubt, the Government’s publicity team seems to have started a definite offensive, the final offensive aimed at keeping General Pinochet in power until 1997,” said Mario Papi of the opposition Social Democratic Party. Under the 1980 constitution, General Pinochet is flue to preside over a transition to a form of democratic rule in 1989, when the armed forces will nominate a presidential candidate for the next eight years to be confirmed or rejected by plebiscite. General Pinochet, who seized power in a bloody coup in 1973, has always pointed to the constitutional deadline to deflect pressure for a faster return to democracy.

Diplomats say that, by doing so, he has encouraged some politicians to focus their efforts on removing him in 1989. “All this talk of 1989 makes people expect major changes then,” one diplomat said. “But it may be a mistake to talk so much about life after 1989.”

The talk was started last month by the Government Secretary General, Francisco Cuadra, the Minister responsible for the Govern-

meat’s public relations. In a speech to students in the city of Concepcion, Mr Cuadra said 1989 was not the end for those in the Government and for its supporters. “The year ’B9 is an important stage, certainly,” he said. “The juridical regime changes, certainly, but that is not the end of the Government. The regime has projections beyond the year 1989 and it is good that people should be clear on that.”

Unperturbed by the storm of protest over Mr Cuadra’s remarks, General Pinochet himself took up the theme last week.

During a tour of southern Chile — the sort of occasion when he tends to deliver impromptu speeches — he told Government supporters in Osomo: “The Government has projections beyond 1989, when some people think it ends. It doesn’t end there ... I’m not asking anything for myself. All I ask for is a place in the vanguard iif the fight against communism. The rest doesn’t interest me.”

Though General Pinochet was suitably modest about his personal ambitions after 1989 — he has always declined to say whether he wants to carry on until 1997 — diplomats say he has been preparing the ground for staying on in other ways.

As commander-in-chief of the army, he reshuffled his top generals last month, replacing General Cesar Benavides — the most senior general after General Pinochet himself — as the army’s representative on the military junta.

The deputy commander-in-chief, Julio Canessa, took over from

General Benavides on the junta and Santiago Sinclair, General Pinochet’s personal chief of staff, was named to Canessa’s job, responsible for the day-to-day administration of the army. Diplomats noted that no reason was given for General Benavides’ departure, not even a face-saving reference to “poor health,” and said the changes further strengthened General Pinochet’s personal control over the army. “Both Canessa and Sinclair owe their positions entirely to Pinochet,” one diplomat said. “Their loyalty is unconditional.”

The president is also paying close attention to his public image, most dramatically in the televised exercise session on his birthday, November 25.

More significantly, General Pinochet changed the head of .news and the director of the State television company, where ratings have sagged alarmingly this year. The new director, Manfredo Mayol, is a journalist with experience in television and a flair for marketing. He was formerly editor of the pro-government magazine, “Ercilla,” which was the first to give away books to promote sales two years ago. Now almost all newspapers and magazines offer books, cassettes or other hand-outs to attract readers.

Mr Mayol also worked on the successful publicity campaign before the 1980 constitution was approved by plebiscite.

General Pinochet’s path to 1989 and beyond, however, is hot entirely clear.

Opposition political parties, flushed with success after a large rally in a Santiago park last month, have pledged to continue

their campaign to make Chile ungovernable next year. The Air Force Commander, Fernando Matthei, one of the men who will name the presidential candidate in 1989, said last week that

the military Government would end that year. He also criticised General Pinochet’s refusal to hold talks with political parties behind a recent plan for a transition to democracy.