Political parties in Chile have reached an agreement to attempt another rewrite of the country’s constitution, after 62% of voters rejected the first version suggested by a constitutional commission in September.
According to the rules agreed upon by most of the country’s main political actors, the Senate and the National Assembly will appoint half of the members of a constitutional council consisting of 50 elected officials and a commission made up of 24 experts.
The shift to appointing experts to rewrite the document marks a significant departure from the previous process, under which members of the assembly drafting the new constitution were elected directly by the people of Chile.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric has described replacing the constitution as one of the main goals during his time in office.
Under the current neoliberal constitution –- which was imposed by the military dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet in 1980 – business interests are prioritized over the welfare of working Chileans.
On Tuesday, Boric described the agreed-upon accord as a compromise and expressed optimism about the direction of the process.
“I value this agreement,” the president explained, noting that all parties involved “had to move from our original positions.”
According to Alvaro Elizalde, the president of the Senate, in January the commission will get to work on a proposal for a new constitution, which the council will use as a blueprint. With council members set to be elected in April, the final vote to approve their proposed document won’t be held until the final months of 2023.
19 November 2019, 21:15 GMT
The current push to replace Chile’s constitution is largely a product of a massive protest movement which sprung up in late 2019 over a planned hike in subway fares.
The initial demands quickly grew to include replacing the country’s foundational document with one more amenable to the interests of working Chileans, indigenous groups, and the environment. In November of that year, Chile’s Congress agreed to hold a referendum on rewriting a new constitution, which was ultimately supported by 78% of the population.