Chilean President Gabriel Boric, this Monday (5), began looking for a new way to reform the Constitution, which has been in effect since the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship (1973-1990); this is in part after the mass rejection of a new text considered too radical. of the population.
The electoral remnant after Sunday’s plebiscite left a clear citizenship message: The Magna Carta proposal, drafted by a Constituent Assembly of 154 members elected on equal terms and holding indigenous seats, did not convince the public.
After listening to more than 99.99% of the voters, “reject” prevailed with 61.86% of the vote against 38.14% of “approval”. It was a journey with a historic turnout of about 13 million out of a total of 15.1 million voters who were compulsorily called to vote.
In the conservative El Mercurio on Monday, the headline was “Parliament’s Constitution Proposal Widely Rejected.” “The broad triumph of rejection controls uncertainty and improves prospects for 2023,” says the economics section of the newspaper La Tercera.
The project maintained a market economy, but aimed to create a new catalog of social rights in terms of health, abortion, education and welfare, with an environmental emphasis and indigenous “multinationalism”.
In his speech to the nation, leftist Boric said, “As President, I humbly accept this message and accept it as mine. It is necessary to listen to the voice of the people.”
The president, however, warned that the draft of a new Magna Carta was the starting point of “hidden (hidden) discontent” and that Chile could not ignore it, citing the popular uprising in 2019.
Boric promised to speedily advance a new founding process for lawmakers, as it had advanced weeks ago.
“Finding a fast way forward will benefit the government, which has been hit hard as a result,” said Mariano Machado, risk analyst at Verisk Maplecorf.
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While the majority of voters, political leaders, and social organizations agree that Chile wants a new Constitution, the current Magna Carta, drawn up in 1980, remains in force, with a landslide victory over the constitutional proposal.
“Given the level of uncertainty and the ideological distance between camps, the search for a ‘plan B’ is very likely to be a dead end,” says Machado.
In his calm message, Boric urged political forces to “put Chile ahead”. The 36-year-old president said “the National Congress must be the protagonist” to meet the demands of the streets.
The Parliament, located in Valparaíso, is composed of 50% right. The rest are split between independents, socialists and Christian Democrats.
“The options range from restarting a full founding process to fragmented reforms through Congress. A middle ground where a special commission will advise Congress is gaining ground,” Machado concludes.
“Overwhelming” Victory
“We never thought we could imagine this difference, even in the best of scenarios, it was overwhelming. We are very happy and hopeful for the future of Chile. I hope the tension will calm down,” said 43-year-old lawyer Pablo Valdés. told AFP at a celebration of “red” supporters.
“Now” won in all parts of Chile. Only 8 out of 346 municipalities achieved a majority in favor of the constitutional proposal. The “approval” was successful in the vote from abroad, in which about 100,000 Chileans were called to the polls voluntarily in this case.
Opponents of the constitutional amendment gathered in caravans and streets with Chilean flags for the first time since the election campaign started in July.
“President Boric: this defeat is also your defeat,” said former far-right presidential candidate José Antonio Kast.
Following the massive social upheaval of 2019 in search of more social justice, the issuance of a plebiscite on a new Constitution garnered the support of almost 80% of the electorate in a consultation that opened the founding process in October 2020.
The resounding victory of the rejection is explained by the vast majority’s fear that the constitutional proposal would completely overturn political opposition, university analyst Marcello Mella told AFP. Santiago’s.
source: Noticias
