A referendum was held in Chile on Sunday on a new constitution that would replace a document dating back to the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. The new text follows an agreement reached after the violent protests against inequality in 2019 and focuses on social rights, the environment, gender equality and the rights of indigenous peoples. Chileans rejected the draft constitution by an overwhelming majority.
If adopted, it would mean revolutionary changes in a country that has been regarded as one of the most conservative in South America to date. However, this will not happen. The Chilean electoral commission, after counting over 99 percent of the vote, said nearly 62 percent of Chileans were in favor of rejecting the draft new constitution.
President Gabriel Boric, whose government is largely related to the new text, has already announced that "changes are coming in the government and he will work on the preparation of the next constitution." "We must listen to the voice of the people," he said.
Support fell
Although nearly 80 percent of Chileans voted in favor of a new constitution at the end of 2020, polls show that public support for the new text has declined due to fear of some of the proposals and controversy surrounding members of the body that worked on the document. The number of voters planning to vote "no" on the new text exceeded the "yes" votes for the first time in April. Recent polls ahead of the two-week silence leading to the referendum vote showed that 47 percent of people were going to vote "no", compared with 38 percent "yes". 17 percent of people remained undecided. Experts emphasized that the uncertainty about the result is exacerbated by the fact that participation in it is obligatory.
More than 15 million Chileans were entitled to vote at over three thousand points. Polling stations closed at 6 p.m. but remained open to voters waiting in line.
Foreign voices in favor of the new document.
President Gabriel Boric voted in the southern town of Punta Arenas early on Sunday and vowed to maintain unity regardless of the outcome. "In the difficult times we had as a country, we chose the path of resolving our differences and moving forward with more democracy," Boric told reporters after the vote. Whatever the outcome, he added, the government will work with all sectors to "move forward in justice, equality, growth and development for everyone."
Some of the votes outside the country, including those from New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea and China, had closed early and showed a favorable advantage for the new text. Overseas votes have historically leaned towards more progressive views than the rest of the electorate. The ruling coalition agreed to modify the text, should it be approved, and help bring the law into line with the new constitution has 57 transitional norms.
(translation done by me from tvn24.pl)
