Chileans will decide whether to adopt or reject the Constitution in a referendum on September 4.
“I know, and everything in Chile is aware that this wasn’t easy, and it’s dear compatriots, democracy isn’t easy,” Bolic received a copy of the draft document. I said afterwards.
“There is something that every Chilean should be proud of, regardless of the legitimate differences that may exist regarding the content of the text that will be discussed in the coming months-it is the deepest political, institutional and social moment. In the crisis that our hometown has lived for decades, the Chileans have chosen more democracy.
The proposed constitution represents a deviation from the country’s existing constitution written under the influence of the University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman’s neoliberal model. Despite many amendments, the majority of Chileans blame it for the country’s severe inequality.
The proposed new constitution emphasizes social and ecological factors, enshrines the rights of Chile’s indigenous peoples, and envisions a new national health system.
The process of potentially replacing the constitution inherited from the late General Augusto Pinochet, the dictator who ruled the country from 1973 to 1990, was triggered by a rise in subway tolls three years ago.
Massive protests and riots broke out across the country in the fall of 2019, forcing then-President Sebastian Pinella to agree to a referendum on constitutional rewriting.
In October 2020, more than 78% of Chilean voters approved the constitutional amendment, and in June 2021 again cast a ballot to elect members.
The centre-left and right-wing coalitions, which have shared power since their return to democracy in 1990, were both severely hit, gaining only 16% and 24% of parliamentary seats, respectively.
In contrast, independents and newcomers from leftist parties and social movements spent their glorious time collecting 60% of the votes.
Currently, the country is preparing to vote for the constitution they have created. This can lead to widespread changes in Chilean society.
Source: www.cnn.com
