Chile Political Parties Agree to Try and Change Pinochet Dictatorship Constitution Again

After trying to pass a new constitution and having the people reject it, Chile is retrying to pass a new constitution to replace the current one passed under dictator Augusto Pinochet. This time, however, political parties from all sides of the spectrum have agreed to it.

Previously, all of Chile's political entities, except for the Communist Party, all agreed to scrap the Pinochet Constitution and create a new one. The Chileans would be the ones to decide the new constitution. However, 62% of voters rejected the newly-drafted constitution on the September 4, 2022 election, according to the Associated Press.

Chile's leftist President Gabriel Boric suffered a huge setback because of this, as he promised the new constitution would usher in a new and more progressive era in Chile, as the current Pinochet Constitution is more market-friendly and favors the private sector and also does not reference Chile's large Indigenous population.

With the agreement to try and draft another constitution, Boric applauded the decision, calling it a necessary and "decisive step to advance in a new social pact for a better democracy, more freedoms, more social rights."

More Political Parties Agreed to Change Constitution This Time

All 14 of Chile's political parties have agreed to convene a new commission. It will have 24 experts appointed by Congress, and they will be the ones to lay the framework for the 50 individuals who will be democratically elected to draft the new charter. Elections for these new constitution writers will happen in April 2023.

According to Al Jazeera, the new constitutional commission will not just include 50 individuals but also an unspecified number of Indigenous representatives.

Initially, the 14 parties were divided over how many constitutional commission members will be chosen and whether they should be appointed by Congress or elected by voters. In the end, they finally agreed on 50 members.

The parties also agreed that the new constitution should be based on 12 constitutional principles. These were previously determined by the political parties, who all agreed that Chile should have a "unitary but decentralized government with separate and independent executive, judicial and legislative branches."

Also agreed upon is that the military will always be subordinate to the civilian government, as well as recognizing Chile's Indigenous peoples and granting them crucial rights.

Why Previous Proposed Constitution Was Rejected by Chilean Voters

Almost 62% of Chilean voters rejected the new constitution proposed last September, far larger than what opinion polls have previously suggested. Though disappointed, Boric accepted the results.

Chile tried to replace the constitution after massive protests three years ago, and an overwhelming number of Chileans supported that move by voting to replace the current Pinochet constitution. However, BBC reported that many found the proposed constitution too radical.

The new constitution would have changed many of Chile's institutions, such as replacing the Senate with a Chamber of Regions and having the law require women to hold at least 50% of positions in official institutions.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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