Government of Chile
Long Conventional Name
Republic of Chile
Short Conventional Name
Chile
Long Local Name
Republica de Chile
Short Local Name
Chile
Government Type
Republic
Capital City
Santiago Island and the nearby Islands
Administrative Divisions
15 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Arica y Parinacota, Atacama, Biobio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Los Rios, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso, Note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica.
Independence Day
Tuesday, 18th September 1810
Constitutional History
11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005.
Legal System
Based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system.
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive Branch
Chief of State
President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006)
Head of Government
President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006)
Cabinet
Cabinet appointed by the president
Elections
President elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held in December 2009).
Legislative Branch
Bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve eight-year terms; one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms).
Judical Branch
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal.
Flag Description
Two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red represents the blood spilled to achieve independence. Note: design was influenced by the US flag.
