Constitutional Mockery

For the second time in 18 months, Dictator-Premier Carlos Ibanez neatly and constitutionally detached from office last week a President of Chile.

His first exploit of this character was to demand and receive by right of might the resignation of President Arturo Allessandri (TIME, Oct. 12, 1925), and to cause the election of President Emiliano Figueroa.

There followed an alleged campaign to purge Chile of Reds, during which it was observed that those arrested, jailed or deported were in very few instances tinged with Communism but were in every instance foes of Premier Ibanez. The crux came when the President's own brother was arrested as a Red, although he, Senor Javier Figueroa was actually Chief Justice of the Chilean Supreme Court, and legally immune from arrest.

Early last week Dictator Ibanez demanded the Chief Justice's resignation which was refused. Only the President of Chile could declare the office of Chief Justice vacant; and naturally the President refused thus to oust his own brother, the Chief Justice. What to do?

The Cabinet, mostly composed of quick-trigger army officers, assembled with Dictator-Premier Ibanez and despatched a verbal ultimatum to the President. President Figueroa had no option but to issue a proclamation as follows: "Serious personal motives compel me to absent myself from my constitutional duties for a period of two months. During this time the Minister of the Interior (Premier Ibanez) will rep)ace me in the Presidency with the title of Vice President of the Republic, in accordance with Article 66 of the Political Constitution of the State."

As his first executive act, Vice President Ibanez declared the office of Chief Justice vacant. Thus he himself became absolute master of Chile by a subterfuge technically constitutional. He holds the executive power and has the supreme judiciary office to dispense.