A special council of 155 elected citizens in Chile has begun writing a new constitution. It should replace the current constitution from 1980, which dates from the time of dictator Augusto Pinochet. The start of the process leads to a big party on the streets in, among other places, the capital Santiago.
The constitution is seen as one of the causes of the great social inequality in the South American country. In the fall of 2019 arose about this mass protests.
In a referendum in October last year, a large majority from the Chileans for a new constitution and the establishment of the special council; the “Constitutional Convention”. Two months ago, the 155 citizens who must write the law were elected.
In the current constitution, private property is the norm, even in sectors that fall under the public sector in many other countries, such as healthcare, education, pensions and the drinking water system. Chile is one of the richest countries in Latin America and has the most multimillionaires, but many working people have great difficulty making ends meet. Many go deeply into debt to pay for schooling or a pension.
Right and left
The citizens’ platform that is to design the law includes teachers, lawyers, scientists, social workers, veterinarians, writers, journalists, actors and a housewife. The youngest member is 21 years old, half of the members are women and 17 seats are reserved for representatives of indigenous groups. Many took part in the protests themselves in 2019.
For the past several decades, Chile has been governed by an elite group on the right side of the political spectrum, unwilling to tamper with the free market economy. “They came from the same primary schools, went to the same universities and most people lived in the best areas of the capital Santiago,” a senior Chilean UN official described the ‘old guard’ at AFP news agency.
Independent candidates
In the new citizens’ platform, the right has a smaller role. Independent candidates, apart from the traditional parties, made the biggest gains, together holding 46 percent of the vote, center-left parties received a third of the vote and right-wing parties about 20 percent.
Before the constitution comes into effect, a two-thirds majority of the 155 platform members still have to agree on the text. Ultimately, the new constitution will be presented to the population in a referendum next year. Chileans are required to vote for this.
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