| Capitale | nom: Santiago; note - Valparaiso is the seat of the national legislature coordonnées géographiques: 33 27 S, 70 40 W différence de temps: UTC-3 (2 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in August; ends second Sunday in May; note - Punta Arenas observes DST throughout the year etymology: Santiago is named after the biblical figure Saint James (ca. A.D. 3-44), patron saint of Spain, but especially revered in Galicia; "Santiago" derives from the local Galician evolution of the Vulgar Latin "Sanctu Iacobu"; Valparaiso derives from the Spanish "Valle Paraiso" meaning "Paradise Valley" |
| Fête de l'Indépendance | 18 Septembre 1810 (from Spain) |
| Fête nationale | Jour De l'Indépendance, 18 Septembre (1810) |
| Constitution | history: many previous; latest adopted 11 Septembre 1980, effective 11 Mars 1981; note - in Mars 2018, days before her term ended, President BACHELET sent a proposal for a new constitution to the National Congress, but it has not been pursued by her successor amendments: proposed by members of either house of the National Congress or by the president of the republic; passage requires at least three-fifths majority vote of the membership in both houses and approval by the president; passage of amendments to constitutional articles, such as the republican form of government, basic rights and freedoms, the Constitutional Tribunal, electoral justice, the Council of National Security, or the constitutional amendment process, requires at least two-third majority vote by both houses of Congress and approval by the president; the president can opt to hold a referendum when Congress and the president disagree on an amendment; amended many times, last in 2018 (2019) |
| Suffrage - Age minimum de l'électeur | 18 ans; universal |
| Pouvoir exécutif | chef d'état (Président): Président Sebastian PINERA Echenique (depuis 11 March 2018); note - the president is both chef d'état (Président) and chef de gouvernement (1er ministre) chef de gouvernement (1er ministre): Président Sebastian PINERA Echenique (depuis 11 March 2018) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a single 4-year term; election last held on 19 November 2017 with a runoff held 17 December 2017 (next to be held in November 2021) election results: Sebastian PINERA Echenique elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique (independent) 36.6%; Alejandro GUILLIER (independent) 22.7%; Beatriz SANCHEZ (independent) 20.3%; Jose Antonio KAST (independent) 7.9%; Carolina GOIC (PDC) 5.9%; Marco ENRIQUEZ-OMINAMI (PRO) 5.7%; other 0.9%; percent of vote in second round - Sebastian PINERA Echenique 54.6%, Alejandro GUILLIER 45.4% |
Source: CIA World Factbook - Version du décembre 31, 2019
