Chile begins voting: Pinochet’s Constitution or more conservative text?

O Chileans They started voting this Sunday in a plebiscite if the criticized Constitution in force since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet or they choose a new, even more conservative text, far from the effervescence with which this process began four years ago.

Polling stations opened across the country at 08:00 local time (11HGMT), to operate for eight hours. The election is mandatory and quick voting vote count.

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More than 15 million Chileans are allowed to vote “for or against” of a proposal Constitution prepared by a body dominated by the ultra-conservative Republican party.

The text reduces the weight of the State, may limit some rights, such as therapeutic abortionand toughens the treatment of migrants with expulsion “as soon as possible” those who are in an irregular situation.

The polls, which cannot be released two weeks before the elections, They anticipate a triumph of the “against” optionalthough with a double-digit percentage of undecided people that could tip the scales.

Everything, given the very low interest of the population.

“I’m not very interested in the elections. I will vote because it is mandatory, But I know it won’t end in anything“Everything will end the same way.”Paula, a 24-year-old nursing technician, told AFP.

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Constitutional exhaustion

In November 2020, 80% of Chileans decided to start a process to change the Constitution in force since the dictatorship (1973-1990) as a response to the massive and violent protests which broke out in October 2019.

A Constituent Assembly dominated by the left, he wrote a progressive text, which included profound transformations, such as the elimination of Senate and the right to abortion, but which ended up scaring voters, who rejected it by 62%.

Another process began, now led by the Republican Party, which drafted a text based on its ideology and without reaching consensus.

“There is a exhaustion of citizens in relation to the constitutional process, where neither in the first nor in this process a consensus was reached on what was intended”he tells AFP Carolina Leforta 42-year-old lawyer.

“It’s amazing that this happened in Peppera country in the Latin American context recognized by a good political class, open, tolerant, of dialogue and always in search of agreements and consensus”poses Michael Shifterformer president of the study center Inter-American Dialogue and professor at Georgetown University.

This exhaustion and satiety was experienced in the streets, where the campaign was almost imperceptible. This week’s closures were very small.

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Another Chile

The increase in violent crimes – which Chileans associate with the arrival of foreign migrants, in their majority Venezuelans– and an economy that does not take off after a strong adjustment aimed at containing inflation, now focuses the population’s attention.

Four years after leaving streets to claim greater social justice, the inhabitants now want more police, order and security.

“It’s another Chile. The country changed dramatically (…) and in some ways became a more Latin American country. “Chileans have always considered themselves an exception, a more European country and different from their neighbors, and now they look a little more like them”adds Shifter.

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Return to starting point

Although reformed several times towards democracy, the change of Pinochet Constitution It was an old aspiration of the Chilean left, which points to its illegitimate origin and the weak protection it establishes for social rights such as health, housing, pensions and education.

But faced with an even more conservative proposal, the parties of the Chilean left called to vote “against”. He “Lesser evil”before a text that further delves into the neoliberal model.

““I prefer to return to the starting point, which is not 100% the Constitution of the dictatorship, before having a bad text that harms all Chileans and that divides us deeply.”he said Carolina Leitãospokesperson for the “against” campaign.

Source: Elcomercio

jack

I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.