The government and the opposition both claimed victory, but democracy was the real winner last week as Chileans voted overwhelmingly to institute 54 reforms to the 1980 constitution. A lopsided majority of 85.7% of the voters approved the measures, which clear the way for an elected government. Among them: legalization of nonviolent Marxist parties, ratification of all international human-rights laws signed by the Chilean government, and a simplified process of enacting future reforms. Only 8.2% of the voters rejected the reforms, while a mere 6.3% abstained.
But Chileans still have their history to worry about. Fernando Matthei, the moderate commander in...