Chilean Air Force Chief Backs Civilian to Succeed Pinochet

SANTIAGO, Chile — The air force commander in chief, Gen. Fernando Matthei, said Thursday that Chile’s ruling junta is looking for a civilian to succeed President Augusto Pinochet when his term ends in 1989.

“The armed forces should not be involved in the political process,” Matthei told reporters after a meeting with Pinochet.

“A civilian must stand,” he said, referring to a single-candidate plebiscite scheduled for early 1989.

Matthei was the second member of the four-man junta to express opposition this week to Pinochet’s plan to run for another eight-year term, revealing a growing split within the military regime over whether to stay in power beyond 1989.

Navy Adm. Jose Toribio Merino said Wednesday in an interview that Pinochet, 71, was too old to stand in the yes-or-no plebiscite.

Merino, whose statements were received with surprise in Santiago, said he favored a conservative civilian in his 50s to succeed Pinochet.

Pinochet, who is both president and commander in chief of the army, is strongly supported by the army, and several high-ranking army officers have publicly stated that he must stay in power.

“If you ask me who my ideal candidate is, I agree with Admiral Merino that it should be a civilian,” Matthei said.