Capital: Santiago
Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular—region);
Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania,
Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins,
Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region
Metropolitana, Tarapaca, Valparaiso
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989
Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11 March
1994); note—the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11
March 1994); note—the president is both the chief of state and head
of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 11 December 1993 (next to be held NA December
1999)
election results: Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle elected president; percent
of vote—Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (PDC) 58%, Arturo ALESSANDRI 24.4%,
other 17.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso
Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected by
popular vote; members serve eight-year terms—one-half elected every
four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate—last held 11 December 1997 (next to be held NA
December 2001); Chamber of Deputies—last held 11 December 1997 (next
to be held NA December 2001)
election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA%; seats by
party—CPD (PDC 14, PS 4, PPD 2), UPP 17 (RN 7, UDI 10), Chile 2000
(UCCP) 1, independent 10; Chamber of Deputies—percent of vote by
party—CPD 50.55% (PDC 22.98%, PS 11.10%, PPD 12.55%, PRSD 3.13%),
UPP 36.23% (RN 16.78%, UDI 14.43%); seats by party—CPD 70 (PDC 39,
PPD 16, PRSD 4, PS 11), UPP 46 (RN 24, UDI 21, Party of the South
1), right-wing independents 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court