Chapter 9: Man of the Hour
Sergeant Foley
Well-known member
The General Who Became an International Revered Hero!
Tuesday, September 16, 1980
Palace of Cerro Castillo
Vina del Mar, Chile
Chilean President Captain General Augusto Pinochet Ugarte was riding high in the Fall of 1980: having successfully diplomatically outfoxed the Argentine Republic over the disputed Picton, Nueva and Lennox Islands in 1978, Pinochet's approval ratings skyrocketed from the low 20s all the way to the high 80s. He also consolidated his power as the South American country's 29th President upon taking power in a bloody military coup d'etat with strong backing from the US Central Intelligence Agency and the Nixon administration on 11 September 1973 which resulted in the death of then-Chilean President Salvador Allende Gossens.Tuesday, September 16, 1980
Palace of Cerro Castillo
Vina del Mar, Chile
Originally, the Junta members (which consisted of Pinochet representing the Army, Admiral Jose Toribio Merino representing the Navy, General Cesar Mendoza representing the National Police and General Gustavo Leigh representing the Air Force) had planned on having the Presidency rotated for a year by each of the commanders-in-chief of each of the four military branches of the Chilean Armed Forces, but Pinochet had other plans: first he consolidated his control by retaining sole chairmanship of the military junta and then he proclaimed himself as Supreme Chief of the Nation on 27 June 1974. Less than five months later, Pinochet installed himself as the 29th President of the Republic of Chile on 17 December 1974 in a special televised ceremony which secretly annoyed many inside of the Military Junta, some of whom privately quipped "This fool thinks he's going to become King of Chile forever". Once Pinochet got word of General Leigh's strong criticisms of his policies, Leigh was forced into retirement from the Chilean Air Force and replaced as Air Force Commander-in-Chief by General Fernando Matthei, who would go onto becoming a key player in Chile's involvement in the downfall of the military government in the Argentine Republic in 1982 (more on that in Chapter 11 of the timeline, Sorry: y'all just are gonna have to wait).
Pinochet enjoyed strong backing from the United States especially succeeding US Presidents Gerald Ford, Nelson Rockefeller and currently Linwood Holton during their respective administrations. With the chaos inside the Soviet Union escalating, Pinochet exploited this international tussle by influencing the International Olympic Committee into holding the 1980 Summer Olympics in Santiago, where Pinochet had overseen a very successful Santiago Olympics in which Chilean athletes had won the fifth highest medal count even though the United States earned the most Gold medals including holding the overall medal count.
On the economic front, Pinochet's government implemented economic liberation following neo-liberialism, including currency stabilization, removing tariff protections for local industries, banning trade unions, and privatizing Social Security and hundreds of state-owned enterprises. Critics of Pinochet's regime brought up one of the government properties being sold to his son-in-law during one instance as well as rewarding supporters of the Pinochet government while punishing opponents; these policies, whatever the dispute either for or against, resulted in high economic growth across Chile.
Boasting to justifying his rule, Pinochet organized a nationwide plebiscite during the ninth anniversary of the Coup in what was known was the 1980 Chilean Constitutional Referendum, which pretty much all but replaced the 1925 Constitution, which had been drafted during the presidency of then-Chilean President Arturo Alessandri. The controversial Plesbiscite was approved by voters with 67% of the nationwide vote while 30% voted against the constitutional referendum. It safely ensured Pinochet would remain in power for another eight years with an upcoming plebiscite in 1988 (which ultimately was not successful) Pinochet would go on to serve as Chile's longest-serving President until 11 March 1990 serving for almost 17 years which is the longest tenure of any Chilean President before nor since; while he remained as Commander-in-Chief of the Chilean Army until his retirement on 11 March 1998, after 67 years of service in the Chilean Army.
Pinochet served as Senator for Life in the Chilean Senate with accordance to the 1980 Constitution, which was viewed with hostility yet his staunchest supporters cheered, serving until 4 July 2002. He lived in complete seclusion until his death from congestive heart failure on 10 December 2006 at the Military Hospital surrounded by his family members. Following a grand State Funeral on 16 December 2006 on the grounds of the Military Academy in Las Condes where an estimated 6,373+ people attended the State Funeral (largest in Chilean history), Pinochet was cremated in Concon which surprised many people, but sources explained it was necessary to avoid vandalism of his tomb and was buried at Los Boldos, Santo Domingo, Valparaiso, Chile in a private ceremony.
Yet, there were allegations of wax copies being made in his resemblance and secretly buried at one of Pinochet's private residential properties or even private resorts in order to keep opponents and especially triggered Argentines, who were still furious over the Falklands War of 1982 and invasion of the Argentine Republic, guessing from finding out if the controversial former Chilean President's resting place was really at Los Bolds due to rumors. And to this day, nobody even members of the Pinochet family would deny or confirm the allegations of wax copies being made, preferring in sticking by the original story.
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