Santiago de Chile (AFP)

Tens of thousands of protesters once again took to the streets in Chile Tuesday to demand the government of deep social reforms, a persistence of the social crisis that begins to weigh on the country's economy.

More than 80,000 people marched in downtown Santiago at the call of several social organizations, said the Deputy Secretary of the Interior, Rodrigo Ubilla, who also spoke of "isolated incidents of violence".

The protesters, waving Chilean flags and union banners, gathered at the iconic Plaza Italia, in the center of the capital, to then head to the headquarters of the Unitary Workers' Union (CUT), the country's most powerful union. AFP noted.

"There is a lot of discontent on many subjects (...) education, health, the exploitation of natural resources, everything proposed by the president (Sebastian Piñera) is insufficient, it is a farce ! ", denounced Karen Delgado, a 29-year-old protester.

The demonstration was peaceful, with the exception of a few incidents at the end of the procession when the police briefly used tear gas to disperse demonstrators near the presidential palace of La Moneda.

The call for a "general strike" in the public sectors was launched by some 100 social organizations, including the CUT and many unions in the education, health, port and customs sectors.

Many schools were closed and the courses in universities have not resumed since the outbreak of the social crisis on October 18, triggered by a rise in the price of metro tickets in the capital.

Barricades were erected on several arteries of the city, hindering traffic. Public transport, however, operated almost normally and no disruption was found at Santiago International Airport.

The mobilization also remained strong in the rest of the country, in the cities of Arica, Antofagasta (north), Puenta Arenas (south), Concepcion (center), Rancagua and Valparaiso, where sits the Parliament which suspended its activities for the day .

- Historical fall of the peso -

As a result of this unprecedented wave of protests in a country hitherto praised for its stability, the Chilean currency fell at mid-day on Tuesday to a historic low of -5.3%, a dollar trading at 800 pesos.

The previous record was down on October 10, 2002, 761 pesos then needed to get a greenback. The Santiago Stock Exchange was also down, by 3.38% at midday.

"This is a sign of concern that we are following with great attention," said Finance Minister Ignacio Briones. The Central Bank has said that such a decline was "expected in a context of greater uncertainty" due in particular to the persistence of the crisis.

Nearly a month after the start of the social frond, the mobilization is not weakening, despite several concessions from the government, unthinkable again a few weeks ago.

Conservative President Sebastian Piñera has notably accepted a change in the Constitution, inherited from the period of Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship (1973-1990), a strong demand from the protesters.

The government has also signed two agreements with the opposition on the 2020 budget and for a tax reform intended to finance the social measures announced in an attempt to appease social anger.

But the unions are calling for deeper reforms, including the privatized pension system, an increase in the public health budget and an increase in the minimum wage.

In an attempt to find a consensual way out of the crisis, the head of state also met with former center-left presidents Eduardo Frei (1994-2000) and Ricardo Lagos (2000-2006).

Some of the most affected economic sectors include trade and tourism. According to the Santiago Chamber of Commerce, sales have fallen by an average of 50% in the capital since the beginning of the dispute.

The government indicates that the decline in GDP in October should reach 0.5%.

© 2019 AFP