This demand featured prominently in the protests’ demands chilean which erupted from October 18, 2019 to turn into a wave of social protest unprecedented since the return of democracy in 1990.
For supporters of “Apruebo” (I agree), mainly in the left opposition, a new Constitution would remove an essential obstacle to deep social reforms, in one of the most unequal countries in Latin America.
“I agree (Apruebo) that dignity becomes normality”, can we read graffiti on many walls in the capital.
The defenders of the “Rechazo” (I reject), who bring together the most conservative parties, believe for their part that it is possible to introduce changes in the fundamental text, which they believe guarantee the stability of Chile in recent decades, without needing to replace it.
“I don’t want my country to fall into the same hands as in Argentina or Venezuela and all those countries that are a disaster”, estimates Hernan Allende, a 63-year-old real estate agent.
The “for” at the top of 74%
During the vote, the voters will have to answer two questions: one on the replacement or not of the Constitution and the other, if necessary, on the method to draft it, namely the establishment of a “Mixed Convention” made up of equal parts of elected citizens and sitting parliamentarians, or a “Constituent Convention” made up entirely of elected citizens.
According to a latest survey from the National Cadem Institute, the “Apruebo” would win at 74%.
For his supporters, it would also be a question of getting rid of the last scars of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), the fundamental text in force having been approved on September 11, 1980 in a controversial referendum.
Initially scheduled for April 26, the ballot was finally postponed until the end of October due to the epidemic which hit the country of 18 million inhabitants hard, but which is now stabilizing.
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