The result of the referendum is clear: the majority of voters reject the draft of the new constitution. It may have gone too far for many. This is also a defeat for Chile’s government. What now?
In Chile, the plan for a new constitution has clearly failed. In a referendum, a large majority of 61.9 percent of the voting population voted against it. This was announced by the national electoral authority after counting almost all the votes on Monday in the capital Santiago de Chile.
Only 38.1 percent voted in favor. The South American country is thus retaining its current constitution, which dates back to the time of the military dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
Heavy defeat for President Boric
Polls had already indicated that the draft could be rejected. But the clear outcome surprised many. More than 13 million of the approximately 15 million Chileans eligible to vote took part in the referendum on Sunday. It was compulsory to choose. The failure also means a heavy defeat for the new President Gabriel Boric.
A constituent assembly had been working on the draft for a year. It would have fundamentally changed the country. The now failed constitution should guarantee a right to housing, health and education. In addition, half of all state organs should be occupied by women in the future. For the first time, the right of self-determination of the indigenous communities would have been recognized in the country of 19 million inhabitants.
The rejection is a heavy blow for President Boric’s government. The former student leader, who was elected head of state in December at the age of 35, had taken up the cause of a new constitution. He promised a public education and health system based on the model of the European welfare state.
Boric recognized the defeat immediately. “The Chilean people were not satisfied with the draft presented by the Constitutional Convention and therefore decided to clearly reject it at the polls,” he said in an address from the presidential palace. Disappointment was great in the pro-camp. On the Plaza Italia in the capital – in 2019 the center of a social revolt – there was a mood of mourning.
The draft may have gone too far for many
A new constitution was one of the main demands of the demonstrators who took to the streets at the time. Two years ago, support for a new constitution was still very broad among the population at almost 80 percent. The draft may have gone too far for many in conservative Chilean society. Part of the vote developed into a vote on the government. After arson attacks and attacks by radical indigenous people from the Mapuche people in some regions in the south of the country, this did not look good.
It is still unclear what will happen next – whether, for example, a completely new constitutional text should be drafted or the first version revised. President Boric has already invited all parties this Monday to talk about the next steps, as the newspaper “La Tercera” reported.
Draft Constitution Tweet Electoral Board Statement Gabriel Boric Report La Tercera Tweet Electoral Board Results Electoral Board
Source: Stern
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