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Meanwhile, Santiago's provincial military boss has issued "Bando 28" (Order 28), forbidding "elections of any kind in union, guild, political, student or any other kind of group." Vacancies will be filled by the military. The draconian measure led one Santiagoan to wonder wryly whether the order applied "to the local football club too." The constitution was recently amended so that Chileans who criticize the government while traveling abroad will automatically lose their citizenship.
Santiago's raucous night life has been snuffed out by an 11 p.m.-5:30 a.m. curfew. Restaurants other than those in tourist hotels no longer serve dinner. "Bando 28" bans all gatherings during curfew hours, thus thwarting attempts by fun lovers to get around the curfew by holding their parties from dark to dawn.
Despite all this, Chileans, if they had the choice, would probably reluctantly vote for the junta as the lesser of evils. Though the junta is hardly popular, it does have the country running again. Chileans chafe under its totalitarian restrictions, but they also remember the chaos and strife of Allende's regime. For the moment Chile's citizens appear content to get back to work and the rhythms of an orderly society. But with their long democratic tradition, they are not likely to tolerate junta rule indefinitely.