Commission for the Study of the New Political Constitution of the Republic of Chile, commonly known as the Ortúzar Commission, was a body established in 1973 by the
Military Government Junta that ruled the country during the
military dictatorship
A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...
of
Augusto Pinochet
Augusto José Ramón Pinochet Ugarte (25 November 1915 – 10 December 2006) was a Chilean military officer and politician who was the dictator of Military dictatorship of Chile, Chile from 1973 to 1990. From 1973 to 1981, he was the leader ...
, following the
coup against the Socialist President
Salvador Allende
Salvador Guillermo Allende Gossens (26 June 1908 – 11 September 1973) was a Chilean socialist politician who served as the 28th president of Chile from 1970 until Death of Salvador Allende, his death in 1973 Chilean coup d'état, 1973. As a ...
. Its purpose was to draft the preliminary project for the
1980 Constitution. It met from September 24, 1973, to October 5, 1978.
Members
The name "Ortúzar Commission" is due to its chairman,
Enrique Ortúzar Escobar, who previously served as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...
and
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...
during the administration of
Jorge Alessandri
Jorge Eduardo Alessandri Rodríguez (; 19 May 1896 – 31 August 1986) was the 26th president of Chile from 1958 to 1964, and was the candidate of the Chilean right in the crucial presidential election of 1970, which he lost to Salvador A ...
.
Also on the commission were:
*
Rafael Eyzaguirre Echeverría (secretary)
*
Sergio Diez Urzúa
*
Enrique Evans de la Cuadra
*
Jaime Guzmán Errázuriz
*
Gustavo Lorca Rojas
*
Jorge Ovalle Quiroz
*
Alejandro Silva Bascuñán
*
Alicia Romo Román
*
Raúl Gormaz Molina
Enrique Evans and Alejandro Silva resigned on March 16 and 22, 1977, respectively. On May 24 of the same year, Jorge Ovalle also stepped down. They were replaced on June 9, 1977, by:
*
Luz Bulnes Aldunate
*
Raúl Bertelsen Repetto
*
Juan de Dios Carmona
Nature
Despite what is commonly believed, the Ortúzar Commission was not a constituent assembly and did not draft the 1980 Constitution; rather, it merely prepared a preliminary draft that was subsequently reviewed by the
Council of State
A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
and the
Government Junta before being formally submitted for popular approval via a
plebiscite
A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a direct vote by the electorate (rather than their representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either binding (resulting in the adoption of a new policy) or adv ...
.
Nevertheless, there is no denying the importance of the discussion carried out by the Ortúzar Commission regarding the final text of the 1980 Constitution. Although many of the commission's proposals were not adopted by the Council of State and the Government Junta, a large portion of the new Constitution's text was analyzed and debated within the commission.
References
External links
Constitutional Background Documents for the 1980 Constitution
{{improve categories, date=January 2025
1980 in Chilean law
Military dictatorship of Chile (1973–1990)