(. . .the story so far. . .)

Up until 1970 Chile was governed by a Centrist-Right regime, the Christian Democrats allied with the Nacionalistas. In the 1970 presidential elections these two parties ran separate slates, split the vote; the Left Coalition (Unidad Popular) won by a narrow plurality. The UP nationalised a selected list (140) of the big industries - the so-called "commanding heights of the economy" - and expropriated farms of bigger than 200 acres. These were very decisive moves.

However they were not completely decisive. There is a kind of see-saw, a perpetual checking and re-balancing of forces implicit in the Chilean situation. The UP holds the Presidency and the political initiative. The Right-Center (an absolute majority of the country's voters) still controls the Courts and Congress. And as Allende and the UP are committed to a parliamentary solution of conflicts, the Executive can be blocked by the Courts and Congress.

The parties. Throughout Latin America the Communist Party is established, tradition bound and sluggish. In foreign policy it has been allied with Russia; internally it played at coalitions and promoted Popular Front politics. The Chilean Socialist Party was formed by Allende and others in 1933. It confined its long range outlook to within the South American Continent and was interested in building a dynamic Chilean party.

MAPU is a split-off progressive wing of the Christian Democrats, formed in 1968. It is Christian and non-Marxist and has been especially concerned with agricultural reforms. Together with MIR (Movement for the Revolutionary Left) these parties make up the Unidad Popular.

The two principal opposition parties are the Christian Democrats, now led by Frei, and the Nationalists led by Jarpa.

Allende's popular vote in the 1970 presidential elections was 36.3%. In the municipal elections of 1971 the UP polled almost 50%. Now it is less popular than it was then. Its strategy in the current congressional elections has been to go for around 40% of the vote. If it goes higher, it can call it a mandate for socialism. If it goes lower the Opposition will call that a mandate, block reforms, and could even try to impeach Allende.