Chile Marks Coup Anniversary Without Official Government Ceremony for First Time Since 1990

For the first time since Chile returned to democracy in 1990, the government held no official ceremony or institutional act to mark the 53rd anniversary of the military coup that overthrew President Salvador Allende. President José Antonio Kast, who previously supported the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, maintained his regular schedule and traveled to the Los Ríos region in the south of the country. He stated that while history cannot be erased, the nation should look toward the future and avoid remaining condemned by divisions of the past.

This decision breaks a tradition maintained by previous administrations, including those of the traditional right. The government justified the absence of a ceremony by stating that the administration's duty is to look toward the next 50 years. A morning mass held at La Moneda was described by the Interior Ministry as a habitual religious activity rather than a tribute to the victims. Meanwhile, the opposition organized separate tributes, including a gathering at the mausoleum of Allende in the General Cemetery of Santiago and the placement of flowers near the presidential palace. Former President Gabriel Boric participated in these events, asserting that Chileans do not need official acts to remember their history.

The lack of an official event occurs amid a renewed dispute over the memory of the dictatorship. Members of the National Libertarian Party have proposed a Museum of Truth to provide a counter narrative to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, focusing on the economic crisis and political violence preceding the coup. While the Kast administration has maintained the National Plan for Search, Truth, and Justice to locate the disappeared, it dismissed the primary officials responsible for the plan shortly after taking office.