Chile broadly rejects new constitution proposal

After agreeing to draft a new constitution (in 2020) and electing convention members to write it (in 2021), the country finally decided through a mandatory referendum on Sunday to reject the proposed legal charter.

With the victory of the “Refusal”, the 1980 constitution was drafted During the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) and was partially reformed into a democratic system, and will remain in effect.

The result of the agreement, consisting of women and men equally, was a text of 178 pages, 388 articles, and 54 provisional regulations that were widely rejected.

When the agreement was working, which sparked many controversies, and after learning of the proposed text, the division in the country became even more acute, which in 2020 voted by an overwhelming majority of almost 80% to change the 1980 constitution.

Other alternatives offered for constitutional change, criticism of the text, especially issues such as indigenous independence, and the work of the Convention are some of the reasons why Sunday’s result, which the president described as “robust.” And the Gabriel Borek.

The multinational nature of the state, the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy, presidential re-election, the justice system, and the abolition of the Senate are some of the issues included in the constitutional proposal that generated more hostility among the citizens.

The “rejection” of the new text was imposed in 16 regions of the country, including the capital, which includes the capital.

The government coalition led by Borek had proposed changes even if the constitution was approved, in an attempt to allay the fears of supporters of “rejection” of some proposals in the text that they considered “radical” and “extremist”, but they were. Not enough to convince voters.

“The Chilean people were not satisfied with the proposals and decided to clearly reject them. This decision requires the institutions to work with more commitment and dialogue until they come to a proposal that gives us confidence and unites us as a country,” he said. On Sunday night, Borek was elected president in December 2021.

The victory of the “No” and the widening of the difference represented a defeat for the government six months in the presidency, at a time when Borek was losing popularity in a climate characterized by insecurity and inflation.

“Let’s not forget why we got here: the problem is still lurking and we cannot forget it,” added Borek, who promised to lead a “new path” to reach a text that would “success in explaining the vast majority of citizens.”

Announcing changes in his government, he added, “I call on all political forces to put Chile in the forefront and agree as soon as possible to a term for a new constitutional process. The National Congress must be the main hero,” announcing changes in his government.

“The decision to give ourselves a new constitution is still in effect,” Communist Representative Carol Cariola said after learning of the results.

The center-left parties and their spokesmen, as well as the opposition right-wing parties that promoted the “rejection”, pledged to negotiate to prepare a new text or amend the existing one, although it is still unknown how the process will be.

The “rejection” of the text has gained comprehensive support from various political sectors concerned with issues such as pluralism, given that the constitutional text recognizes the autonomy of indigenous peoples, or the fear of an alleged loss of property rights, among others. .

“The constitution was very idiosyncratic, there was a kind of resistance, a rejection, of a text that seemed to give indigenous peoples a prominence that did not exist in Chile, a very specific rejection of the Borek administration, which is something that it should do with public order,” political analyst Cristobal Bellolio told Reuters. and the economy.”

Supporters of the “No” celebrated victory in the streets of the country.

“Today, there are no winners or losers. There are Chileans who must meet again,” said Claudio Salinas, leader of the “Rejection” campaign.

“The proposal harmed the country,” he said. Jose Antonio CastThe right-wing politician who lost the second round of the December 2021 elections against Borek is a spokesperson for the “No”.

“The founding process failed,” he added.

In one of the first reactions, the President of Colombia said, Gustavo PetroFrom the left and very close to Borek, he lamented the victory of the “rejection” and wrote on Twitter: “Long live Pinochet.”

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