From Confrontation to Friendly Persuasion: An Analysis of Judicial Reform and Democratization in Post-Pinochet Chile

Judicial reform has long been a goal of democratic governments. This study examines recent attempts at reform in this area as pursued by the Aylwin and Frei administrations in Chile. It demonstrates that in spite of their different approaches, the original goals of each regime were ultimately derailed by both political expedience and a negative correlation of political forces. Thus, in the end, attempts at judicial reform in the post-Pinochet era failed to transform one of the key authoritarian enclaves inherited from the military dictatorship. As a result, the paper concludes, democratic consolidation in Chile remains as elusive as ever.