FEARED IN CHILE
Fear over a possible coup d'état in Chile was expressed by Salomon Corbalan, General Secretary for the Presidential Candidacy of Doctor Salvador Allende,
"There are certain groups who are making contacts with the Armed Forces in order to bring about a military coup in Chile, before or after the elections,’ he told Prensa Latina in an interview April 14, He said that "the most reactionary sectors" are preparing such a coup in imitation of the one in Brazil.
He added that fortunately the Chilean military are aware of their duty and have refused to participate in the conspiracy. This expression of confidence in the military ‘appears somewhat naive in the light of the experience in’ Brazil,
The FRAP [Frente Revolucionario de Accién Popular], a grouping of nationalist, labor and socialist organizations supporting the candidasy of Allende, held a special meeting to announce that "after the Brazilian coup d'état certain adventurers who do not trust the possibilities of defeating Salvador Allende's candidacy at the elections, 2,078 seeking ways and means to prevent the popular access to power, o.
“They added that "the people are watching the steps of the
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putschists and are on the alert, ready to defend the democratic course of the Chilean political and social process,"
Various organizations have called upon’ their members to fight in the streets if necessary against a possible coup, according to Prensa Latina. The FRAP has instructed all members to take "all necessary measures to crush the sedition,"
' Allende is conceded by all competent observers to be far in the lead in the presidential contest. However it is doubtful that he will win fifty-one per cent of the vote. If none of the oandidates receive an absolute majority, the constitution requires the election to be thrown into Congress, It could decide to give the election to a minority candidate, . In that way a coup d'état sould be given a thin veneer of "legality." .