1991 Chilean Military Parade
| 1991 Chilean Military Parade | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 September 1991 |
| Venue | O'Higgins Park |
| Locations | Santiago, Chile |
| Country | Chile |
The 1991 Chilean Military Parade was held at O'Higgins Park in Santiago on 19 September 1991 to commemorate the Day of the Glories of the Army. The military parade was attended by President Patricio Aylwin and included contingents of the Chilean Armed Forces and Carabineros de Chile.[1]
The ceremony took place one year after an incident at the 1990 parade, when Army Brigadier General Carlos Parera, then commander of the Santiago garrison, didn't request Aylwin's authorization before beginning the parade. The episode became one of the early public points of friction between Aylwin's government and the Army during the Chilean transition to democracy.[2][3]
Background
[edit]The previous year's parade, held on 19 September 1990, was the first after the restoration of democratic government in Chile. President Aylwin arrived at O'Higgins Park in the traditional horse-drawn carriage with Defence Minister Patricio Rojas. When Brigadier General Carlos Parera, commander of the Santiago garrison and the officer responsible for the parade, reached the presidential reviewing stand, he rendered a military salute but did not make the customary request for presidential authorization to begin the march-past.[2]
The incident attracted political attention because the authorization was regarded as a traditional, symbolic and regulatory part of the ceremony. Contemporary and later accounts described the episode as a public slight to Aylwin, although its significance and disciplinary implications were subsequently disputed.[3]
The episode subsequently became connected with a dispute over Army promotions. Later in 1990, Army commander-in-chief Augusto Pinochet proposed Parera for promotion from brigadier general to major general, but Aylwin did not approve the promotion.[4] Parera was later posted abroad and left active service following the controversy.[3]
Against this background, the 1991 parade was the second military parade presided over by Aylwin after the restoration of democratic government.
Parade
[edit]The parade was commanded by Army Brigadier General Guido Riquelme.[1] Unlike the previous year's ceremony, the 1991 parade proceeded with the customary presidential protocol.
Foreign military contingents were among the distinctive features of the ceremony. Delegations from the service academies of the Argentine Armed Forces participated, together with personnel from the 1st Infantry Regiment "Patricios" and the Regiment of Mounted Grenadiers, both of the Argentine Army.[1]
The Chilean contingents included the service academies and units of the Armed Forces and Carabineros. The ceremony also included a motorized sub-echelon, which marched through O'Higgins Park as part of the Army presentation.[1]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Gran Parada Militar 1991 (video completo) (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 September 2026 – via YouTube.
- 1 2 "La Parada Militar a través de la historia: Datos y sucesos inéditos de esta tradición dieciochera" (in Spanish). Government of Chile. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 "Los roces que tuvo Aylwin con los militares". CNN Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 September 2026.
- ↑ Historia del Ejército de Chile (PDF) (in Spanish). Academia de Historia Militar. Retrieved 20 September 2026.
