Voters deciding on who will draft Chile's new constitution have widely rejected the country's ruling coalition in favor of independent and leftist candidates. A new constitution was a key demand of the 2019 protests.
Chileans pick ‘outsiders’ to rewrite charter
AFP, SANTIAGO
Chileans voted at the weekend for people not aligned to political parties to form the bulk of a 155-member body that is to rewrite a dictatorship-era constitution widely blamed for deep social inequality.
A new constitution was a key demand of 2019 protests that left several dozens dead, but paved the way for what has been labeled Chile’s most important election since its return to democracy 31 years ago.
The outcome of the vote on Saturday and Sunday was interpreted as a rebuke of the ruling right and of traditional political parties.
A person in a dinosaur suit votes during the second day of the constitutional convention election to select assembly members that are to draft a new Chilean constitution, in Santiago on Sunday.
Independents set for victory in constitution vote in Chile
By: DW
Chile s ruling center-right coalition has failed to secure control of the body that will rewrite the country s constitution, according to early results of a vote that has been called the most important in Chile since the fall of its military dictatorship in 1990.
On Saturday and Sunday, Chileans cast ballots to elect 155 delegates who will be tasked with drafting the new constitution. The current Pinochet-era charter is widely blamed for social inequality, which sparked massive protests in 2019.
With more than 90% of ballots counted, projections show that Chilean President Sebastian Pinera s coalition, Chile Vamos, has secured just 21% of the votes, according to the electoral authority Servel.
Left-leaning Body To Draft New Constitution For A New Chile By Alberto PE?A
05/17/21 AT 6:10 PM
Chileans leaned left but turned their backs on traditional political parties in electing a 155-member body to rewrite the country s conservative, dictatorship-era constitution.
A new constitution was a key demand of 2019 protests that left several dozen dead but gave rise this weekend to what has been labeled Chile s most important election since returning to democracy 31 years ago.
Chile s existing Magna Carta limits the role of the state and bolsters private enterprise. It is blamed by many for the deep-rooted gulf between rich and poor, but hailed by others, mainly on the right, for the country s many decades of economic growth.