These elections marked the implementation of the reform on a nationwide scale, resulting in the highest level of voter engagement within the previous democratic system.

[2] Since the early 1960s, the Chilean economy had experienced sustained inflationary growth, which continued under the Salvador Allende government and was considered a major factor in the economic crisis of 1972.

Additionally, the high inflation led to dissatisfaction among the upper and middle classes, as there was a significant expropriation of companies towards the private sector.

This dissatisfaction culminated in the October 1972 strike, which aimed to halt expropriations, establish market-adjusted prices, and protect private property.

The election results, therefore, presented a dual scenario: while the opposition retained the majority, the Popular Unity had obtained more votes than expected, reaching 44.03% against the CODE's 55.70%.

Despite being referred to as a surprising result, the truth was that the percentage of votes achieved by the left-wing coalition was practically the same as what the same parties had obtained in the parliamentary elections of 1969 (43.84%).

A thorough investigation by the Faculty of Law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile revealed significant electoral fraud, estimated to involve approximately 200,000 votes.

[4] The allegations were examined by an Investigative Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, which was established on 24 July but ceased its operations when Congress was dissolved after the 11 September coup d'état.