Political Reforms in Sebastian Pinera's Government Chile, 2010-2013

This paper analyzes political reforms carried out by Sebastian Piera's government in Chile. The reforms considered are those that his Coalition for Change campaigned on as part of the presidential and legislative elections in 2009. These reforms promised an improvement in the quality of democracy, and promised its consolidation, including increased political participation, in order to counter the most common criticisms of institutions of representation. Throughout this process, the government showed little receptivity to proposals coming from other sectors, both of the ruling coalition and the opposition; furthermore, it paid scant attention to growing citizen protests and their demands voiced since his second year of government. The information analyzed conveys little progress in decentralization and in the importance that players with veto powers were gaining within the ruling coalition.