Chile rejects new progressive constitution for 2nd time

BOGOTA, Colombia

For the second time, Chileans rejected on Sunday a new constitution that would have replaced the charter drawn up during Gen. Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship in 1980.

According to the data of the Chilean Electoral Service, the proportion of those who want the new constitution to come into force in the country is 44.24%, and those who do not want it stand at 55.76%.

Thus, the current constitution, which was drafted during the reign of dictator Augusto Pinochet and revised many times, remained in force.

Chilean President Gabriel Boric said at La Moneda Palace that their priorities have changed, stating that they will be closed to a new constitutional process during his term of office.

Expressing that they should not repeat the same mistake, Boric indicated: "It is now time to accept the result obtained by those who put forward the opposite option, but it should not be forgotten that a significant part of those who went to the ballot box also voted positively.”

“Our country will continue on its way with the current constitution, because of the results of both referendums,” he noted.

The Chilean leader further said that politics remains indebted to the Chilean people: "The debt is paid by working, and we will continue our struggle to reach the solutions demanded by the Chilean people.”

“What citizens are demanding today is more dialogue and consensus,” he asserted, mentioning: “We will not remain indifferent to the legitimate demands of Chileans in their daily lives and in the face of ongoing urgent problems."

1st referendum

In Chile, nearly 62% of the participants in the first referendum held on Sept. 5, 2022, had said no to the new progressive constitution.

During the anti-government demonstrations in Chile that began in October 2019 and lasted for more than five months, causing looting, violence, and the so-called "social explosion", the rewriting of the constitution was one of the main demands of the protesters.

The Chilean constitution, written during the reign of dictator Pinochet, is considered by some people as the "legacy of the dictatorial regime" and the "main source of inequality."

It is believed that the Constitution protects the economic system, which does not provide adequate health, education, and retirement opportunities due to privatizations and privatization incentives made by Pinochet.

*Writing by Merve Berker