Chile’s new proposed ‘Left-leaning’ constitution, which seeks to replace the one adopted during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, was soundly defeated in a referendum. With 82% of ballots counted on Sunday, 72% of voters rejected the new draught, while 38% voted in favour.
The proposed 170-page, 388-article constitution aimed to replace the current market-friendly text with one that prioritised social rights, the environment, gender equality, and indigenous rights. Following the violent protests against inequality in 2019, a new law was deemed necessary. The latest outcome has thrown a wrench in the works for Chile’s political establishment, which must now decide what to do next.
Political leaders have stated that the current constitution must be revised or replaced entirely. However, it is unclear when and how this will occur. Chile’s leftist president, Gabriel Boric, has reiterated the need for a new constitution, saying that voters should elect a new constitutional convention to draught another proposal and start over, according to The New York Times (NYT).
Experts predicted that the proposed Constitution would be transformative because it would have enshrined more than 100 rights into Chile’s national charter, more than any other constitution in the world, including the right to housing, education, clean air, water, food, sanitation, internet access, retirement benefits, free legal advice, and care ‘from birth to death’.
Furthermore, it proposed abolishing the Senate, strengthening regional governments, and allowing Chilean presidents to run for a second term in a row. The draught also mentioned combating climate change and defending Chileans’ right to choose their own identity ‘in all of its dimensions and manifestations, including sexual characteristics, gender identities, and expressions’.
According to the NYT report, voters were critical of language used in the Constitution. For example, it had defined Chile as a ‘plurinational’ state, which means that 11 Indigenous groups—representing nearly 13% of the population—could have been allowed to govern themselves with their own courts. Moreover, the Chileans had expressed apprehension on the that proposed document was more ‘left-leaning’.
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