POLITICS-CHILE: Lagos Fortified in Ending Navy Chief Dispute

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Gustavo González

SANTIAGO, Jun 16 2001 (IPS) - Chile’s President Ricardo Lagos resolved an incident of civilian-military tensions – arising from the resignation of naval commander Adm. Jorge Arancibia – promptly and with authority, reinforcing the nation’s constitutional order and delivering a blow to the political right-wing, say observers.

The navy will not be politicised, assured vice-admiral Miguel Angel Vergara, Friday, who will take over the post as commander of the navy Monday, following Lagos’ victory in forcing Arancibia to step down early.

Within 24 hours, the socialist president was able to resolve the crisis that Arancibia unleashed Wednesday when he presented Lagos with his resignation as chief of the navy, to take effect as of July 6, four month before the end of his official four-year term.

Arancibia resigned because the main party of the conservative opposition, the right-wing Independent Democratic Union (UDI), invited him to be party’s candidate for the Senate in the legislative elections slated for December.

Leaders of the ruling ‘Concertacíon por la Democracia’ coalition and the opposition Communist Party accused the admiral of incurring in political deliberations, or advisement, which the Constitution expressly prohibits for members of the armed forces.

As such, deputy Pablo Longueira, UDI president, committed the crime of sedition by entering into contacts of a political nature with the head of a branch of the military, according to lawmakers from the centre-left governing coalition.

The government, through Defence minister Mario Fernández, described the situation as “very serious” and “delicate”, and condemned the alleged actions of Longueira, though abstained from making accusations of advisement or sedition.

Sebastián Piñera, president of the National Renovation Party, allied with the UDI in the ‘Alianza por Chile’ coalition, said this situation represents a step in the wrong direction both for the military and for the country’s efforts “to re-establish a healthy coexistence between the civilian and military worlds.”

The UDI leader’s invitation to Arancibia was widely interpreted as an attempt to reinforce the party’s political position with sights on the upcoming legislative elections and a bid to take the upper hand in its relationship with the National Renovation Party.

Lagos called Arancibia to his office late Thursday to demand that he make his resignation effective immediately. He at once named vice-admiral Vergara – fourth in command of the navy – as the new commander of that branch.

In doing so, the president exercised his constitutional authority to designate the chiefs of the military institutions, choosing from among the top five officials in each branch, determined by seniority.

According to the Organic Law of the Armed Forces and the Constitution, both carry-overs from the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), the president does not have the power to remove a commander of a military branch from the post before the four-year period of the officer is completed.

The only mechanism to remove the official prior to the end of the term is to obtain the approval of two-thirds of the National Security Council, a body in which the commanders of the army, navy, air force and militarised police (carabineros) hold 50 percent of the votes.

The meeting between the president and the admiral – a conservative navy-man, a fundamentalist Catholic, and an avowed supporter of Pinochet – reportedly grew tense when Arancibia insisted on his right to remain in his post until Jul 6.

The president alerted the admiral to the fact that his obstinacy could expose him to constitutional charges in the Chamber of Deputies, which apparently convinced Arancibia to give up resistance.

The admiral likely took into account that an impeachment trial in Congress implies the temporary suspension of his rights as a citizen, which in turn would prevent him from registering as a candidate for senator.

Deputy Isabel Allende, daughter of former president Salvador Allende (1970-1973) – who died during the Pinochet-led military coup – and current vice-president of the Socialist Party, stated Friday that it is still possible that lawmakers will charge Arancibia with violating the Constitution.

Senate president Andrés Zaldívar, of the co-governing Christian- Democratic Party, said that the Chamber of Deputies should designate a commission to investigate the actions of Longueira and determine whether the UDI leader might also face trial for similar violations.

The word in Chile’s political circles Friday was that Arancibia’s defeat was two-fold because Lagos did not name vice- admiral Alex Waghorn to head the navy. The outgoing navy commander had reportedly been grooming Waghorn, the fifth-ranked officer, as his successor.

From a broader perspective, the episode has been a positive sign for efforts to finalise Chile’s democratic transition, clearing away the politicisation of the armed forces left by the Pinochet regime, ensuring that they are subordinate to civilian authority.

Interior minister José Miguel Insulza commented that the crisis triggered by Arancibia demonstrates the need for legal reforms to end the so-called “irremovability” of the armed forces commanders from their posts.

The Lagos administration is holding meetings with party leaders about a law on the matter. To be approved, however, the coalition would need some backing from within the right-wing opposition, particularly from the National Renovation Party – which after the Arancibia case has likely found the UDI to be an unreliable ally.