NO La Película, opening in Chile on August 9
A little historical background. General Augusto Pinochet came to power in Chile on September 11, 1973 following a bloody coup d’état that ousted President Salvador Allende and the democratically elected Unidad Popular government. In an effort to institutionalize the neoliberal policies that had been imposed by the military regime, a new constitution (the Constitución Política de la República de Chile de 1980) was written and enacted by the government, going into effect in March 1981. The constitution provided that Pinochet would remain president for another eight years, at the end of which, the government would nominate a candidate to serve a subsequent eight-year term, subject to a approval by means of an “up or down” plebiscite (with no opposition candidate) by Chilean voters. Not surprisingly, Pinochet was put forward as the official candidate in 1988 for a presidential term that would have lasted through March 1997. The general’s plans to extend his rule, however, were complicated when a diverse group of opposition parties formed the Concertación de Partidos por el No, which sought to take advantage of a democratic opening to defeat Pinochet in the October 1988 vote. NO La Película is set during that campaign, which succeeded in ousting the dictatorship and paved the way for a return to democracy the next year.