Chile, rows at polling stations to cancel Pinochet's Constitution

2020-10-25T22:02:52.836Z

The Chileans responded en masse to the call of the referendum for constitutional reform, which comes a year after the historic popular uprising against social inequality. Three hours before the polling stations close, scheduled for 8pm (local time, midnight in Italy), the long lines witnessed a large turnout. In the capital Santiago, the voters, many young people, waited in serene patience under a spring sun, with their faces covered by masks and in compliance with the rules against Covid-19 that require you to keep a distance of at least one meter. After voting in a wealthy neighborhood in Santiago, center-right president Sebastián Piñera invited Chileans to go to the polls "because every vote counts". "We must reject violence and take the path of unity," he added. Changing the Constitution inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) was one of the requests of the people who took to the streets to demonstrate from 18 October 2019 to claim a more equitable society. The current basic law severely limits state action and promotes private activity in all sectors, including education, health and pensions. The 14.7 million voters are called upon to answer two questions: "Do you want a new Constitution?" and "Which body will have to draft the new Constitution?". They will be able to choose between a "mixed constitutional commission" made up of citizens and parliamentarians, and a "constituent commission" made up only of citizens. For supporters of "Apruebo" ("I approve"), mainly center and left opposition, a new constitution would remove an essential obstacle to far-reaching social reforms in a country with severe inequalities. Defenders of the "Rechazo" ("Refusal"), which bring together the more right-wing parties, argue that it is possible to introduce changes in the fundamental law, which they believe has guaranteed the stability of Chile in recent decades, without completely replacing it. According to the latest polls, the "Apruebo" would win 60 to 75%. Despite the pandemic that hit Chile hard (500,000 cases, of which 14,000 were fatal), voters did not hesitate to go and vote.