What remains of Pinochet's Chile ?

This paper is an interim and provisional assessment of the Aylwin
government, attempting to trace both the continuities with the previous
Pinochet government, and the changes that have been introduced. It is
necessary to emphasise that the Aylwin government is restrained by a
Constitution which was designed by Pinochet, is very difficult to reform, and
which, by appointing nine designated Senators effectively denies the Aylwin
government a majority in the upper house of Congress. So the question of
what remains of Pinochet's Chile really breaks down into two parts. The first
is what did the Aylwin government have to accept of necessity? And the
second is, what did it choose to retain when there were other alternative
policies? Another, related question concerns the extent to which democracy
has been consolidated in Chile. Is it really the case, as President Aylwin
asserted in August 1991, that the transition is now over?