A step towards appeasement? Chilean President Sebastian Piñera promulgated, on Monday, December 23, the law allowing the organization of a referendum on April 26, 2020 on a change in the Constitution inherited from the period of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) .
"This reform opens the door and sets the stage for finding a major constitutional agreement," said the Chilean head of state when the law was approved last week by parliament.
"This referendum, the first in thirty years, should allow us to leave behind the violence and the divisions that we have seen resurface with pain and sadness" in recent months, added Sebastian Piñera.
A demand for demonstrations
A change to the current Constitution, approved on September 11, 1980 in a controversial referendum during the military dictatorship, is one of the main demands expressed during the social demonstrations that have shaken the country for more than two months.
The promulgation took place at the presidential palace of La Moneda, in front of approximately 300 guests, including the former socialist president Ricardo Lagos, who had voted fifteen years ago for the most significant modifications of the fundamental text, by eliminating the principles more anti-democratic.
While the country has been shaken since October 18 by an unprecedented social movement, the right-wing government coalition of President Piñera and the main opposition parties had reached a historic agreement on November 15 on the organization of a referendum on a change in the Constitution.
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Two questions on the table
The consultation will include two questions: one on whether or not to replace the Constitution and the other, if necessary, on the method of drafting it.
This second question will determine which body will draft the future Constitution. Two possibilities are on the table: either a "Joint Congress" - an idea supported by the government coalition - composed equally of citizens elected for this purpose and members of parliament in office, or a Constituent Assembly entirely composed of citizens specifically elected for this purpose - a proposal supported by the opposition and demanded by many demonstrators.
If the principle of a new Constitution is approved on April 26, the election of the Joint Congress or the Constituent Assembly will take place in October 2020. The body responsible for drafting will have nine months to prepare a new text, a period which may be extended by three months.
With AFP
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