Three-Week Protests Ends with Chile’s President’s Order to Draft a New Constitution

The three-week nationwide protests against the government in the country of Chile had recently concluded. It ended with Chile's President, Sebastián Piñera initiating the creation of a draft for the new Constitution of the Country.

Chile's President had announced on Sunday that after an hours-long conference with the lawmakers of the country, the constitution will be replaced.

For the people of Chile, the decision was "too little, too late".

"Piñera has characteristically reacted late to the crisis, but I value that he is now open to a new Constitution," said Senate President Jaime Quintana.

The attendees of the three-week-long nationwide protest in Chile had been demanding for the creation of a new Constitution of the country. The other themes of the protests included the hike on the subway fare by four cents, inequality, and the policies on the free market from the dictatorship of Pinochet. This had led Chile's President to start for the creation of Chile's new Constitution.

According to the National Institute for Human Rights, since the start of the protest until November 10, 2019, five had been killed by either the police or military officials and thousands have suffered injuries due to the shootings. Roughly 767 had suffered injuries from the use of tear gas, beatings, and more and 5,600 citizens were arrested.

The police of Chile had fired guns with rubber pellets at protesters leaving approximately two hundred people with serious injuries, such as blindness. Gustavo Gatica, 21 years old, is a student who had participated in the protest, was completely blinded due to the rubber pellets fired by the police.

Observers were sent by the National Institute for Human Rights to oversee the protest. It was recorded by the institute that 2,800 incidents involving police threats, rape, beatings, and other types of sexual violence, either through verbal means, physical means, or fake executions.

The Constitution of Chile was drafted and finalized privately during the reign of the dictatorship of Pinochet. It denied the public the right to observe the draft and finalization of the Constitution.

According to Interior Minister Gonzalo Blumel, the government plans to do a "constituent congress". This means that a group of the country's legislators will be drafting the Constitution of Chile and it will be "with participation from citizens". After this, the proposed text will be subject to approval through a plebiscite.

The proposed methodology for the creating of a new Constitution for the country is a far cry from the demands of the demonstrators for the participation of the direct citizens.

Local assemblies are being created by communities in plazas, parks, and sidewalks to evaluate which issues need to be prioritized and the steps required for the creation of the new Constitution.

There are more or less 15,000 assemblies that have been arranged since October. The conclusion of these assemblies is being collected by the Unidad Social. The Unidad Social is a group with approximately 130 labor groups, professional organizations, and social organizations that provides a way for a unified fix for the citizens of the nation.