Chilean Citizens Take First Step to Rewrite Their Constitution
People’s demands for a new constitution reached its melting point
Chile was under dictatorship rule from 1973 to 1990. The subsequent democratic governments have ensured sustained economic growth for Chile over the last 30 years making it one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America.
Although the absolute poverty levels in the country have shown a declining trend but the relative poverty level has only increased in the past three decades. The economic and fiscal policies, increasing wage gap and the privatization of major economic sectors have led to income inequality arising out of disproportionate wealth distribution.
Last year, a student protest against a hike in subway fares accentuated the growing discontent among the poor and lower income earning groups in Chile. The protest soon turned into a nationwide movement against the arbitrary government policies.
Although, the Chilean government responded by making changes in its tax and labor wage policies but it did not prove adequate in addressing the demands of its public. Thus, the major political parties in Chile agreed to overhaul the archaic constitution.
Recently a public referendum was put in place on the question of substituting the old constitution. The voting process saw the participation of more than 7.5 million people to vote on the question of framing a new constitution. A whopping majority of 78 percent voters agreed on replacing the constitution with a new one based on a democratic process.
79 percent of citizens also assented for constituting an independent body to draft the new constitution. Chileans hope that the new constitution will have the right frame work to meet their basic needs of a better healthcare, social security and educational system.
President Sebastián Piñera assures everyone to honour citizens’ demands
“Today is the time to heal the wounds of the past, unite wills and look up to the future,” Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said in a recent press release. In his statement, Piñera assured to honor citizens’ demands by following a democratic process:
Our Government assumed two firm and clear commitments, which constitute a State mission: [f]irst, to organize and develop a transparent, participatory and secure Plebiscite, so that the will of Chileans could be expressed freely and peacefully. … We were also committed to protecting the health of Chileans, for which we applied all the sanitary regulations that the voting process required. … [S]econd, promote a Constitution that includes the values and principles that live in the soul of our society. A Constitution that honors the democratic and republican traditions of our nation. A constitution that recognizes and protects the rights and aspirations of citizens. And a constitution that organizes the Powers of the State and protects citizens from abuse and discrimination. Our Government will always be on the side of freedom, democracy, peace and Human Rights. Our Government will always be committed to the rule of law, justice and equal dignity, opportunities, rights and duties of all our compatriots, he further added.
What’s Next
Public voting is scheduled to take place on April 11, 2021 to elect a total of 155 members to constitute an independent body for drafting the new constitution. The elected members will be entrusted with the responsibility of coming up with a draft constitution within nine months of its formation. A maximum extension of three months will be given in case the deliberations go beyond the stipulated period.
Public voting will be held in 2022 to either approve or reject the draft constitution.
