Abstract

During the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in Chile (1973-1990) several norms of constitutional level were issued as legislative decrees, called “Actas Constitucionalesµ, allegedly as a self-restriction of the dictatorial power. The “Actas Constitucionalesµ nn. 2, 3, 4 are analyzed here because they were particularly relevant, respectively, in organizing the legal framework of the Chilean State; in establishing (and limiting) constitutional rights and duties; and, finally, in regulating the restrictions of liberties in case of emergency, i.e. in case of “external o internal warµ, “uprisingµ, “latent subversionµ, and “public calamityµ. The 1980 Constitution, still in force, repealed these “Actas Constitucionalesµ.