The Unión Demócrata Independiente and the Poor (1983-1992): The Survival of Clientelistic Traditions in Chilean Politics

Abstract

This article discusses the activities of the Unión Demócrata Independiente (Independent Democratic Union, UDI) in the poblaciones of Greater Santiago, specifically looking at the period between the party's foundation in September 1983 and the first democratic elections at the local level after the return to democracy in June 1992. It is argued that during the period under consideration, the UDI laid the foundations for its subsequent electoral successes in the shantytowns. The Independent Democratic Union, the first party of the Chilean right actively to seek the support of the poor, built up this support by exploiting anti-Marxist feelings and appeals to order, social work amongst shantytown dwellers, and, most importantly, clientelistic networks. It was able to establish these networks, which helped the UDI lastingly to win over significant sectors of the urban poor to its cause because of its close collaboration with the military regime of General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).