The Constitution of 1925 was the constitution in force in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...

between 1925 and 1973 when the Government Junta suspended it. In the 1920s Chile had a severe social and

economic crisis An economy is an area of the production, distribution and trade, as well as consumption of goods and services. In general, it is defined as a social domain that emphasize the practices, discourses, and material expressions associated with th ...

that led to the loss of prestige for old ruling class, labeled oligarchy in Chilean historiography, and the rise of a more sensibilized

populist Populism refers to a range of political stances that emphasize the idea of "the people" and often juxtapose this group against " the elite". It is frequently associated with anti-establishment and anti-political sentiment. The term develop ...

government led by

Arturo Alessandri Arturo Fortunato Alessandri Palma (; December 20, 1868 – August 24, 1950) was a Chilean political figure and reformer who served thrice as president of Chile, first from 1920 to 1924, then from March to October 1925, and finally from 1932 to ...

. In 1924 Alessandri was outed in a coup, but was called back in 1925 to complete his mandate. Alessandri then used his presidency to draft a new constitution to replace the Constitution of 1833. The constitution was approved by

plebiscite A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

by 134,421 voters on August 30 of 1925. Prominent features of the constitution were: * Separation of the church from the state. This was the fulfillment of an old goal among many liberals in Chile. This issue had caused a series of conflicts and controversies in the 19th century. * Legislative initiative powers to the president. (Reinforced with subsequent reforms) * Created an electoral tribunal. This reform increased the democratization of elections that were still manipulated in large parts of the country.

Principal reforms

* 1943: Creation of Comptroller General of Chile (''Contraloría General de la República''). * 1963: Authorization of the Agrarian Land Reform (reinforced in 1967). * 1970: Creation of

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

. * 1970: Democratic Guarantee Statute, to ensure better democratic freedoms. * 1971: Expropriation of Great Mining Copper Industry.

References

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of Legal entity, entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When ...

Defunct constitutions Constitutions of Chile

External links

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