Chile: first eventful session for the Constituent Assembly
Elisa Loncon, a member of the Mapuche indigenous people, chaired the constituent assembly.
July 4, 2021. REUTERS - IVAN ALVARADO
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
It was a long-awaited moment in Chile: the constituent assembly elected in mid-May officially took office on Sunday, July 4.
An eventful day, marked by demonstrations, and the suspension of the ceremony by several elected officials to protest against the repression by the police in downtown Santiago.
A first session also marked by the election of an indigenous Mapuche woman to chair this brand new constituent assembly.
Publicity
Read more
With our correspondent in Chile
,
Justine Fontaine
Without the mobilization of Chileans in the streets two years ago against social inequalities,
there would have been no constituent assembly
. This is what thousands of demonstrators wanted to recall on Sunday morning, like Ismaël, 54 years old: “
We are convinced that this process will lead to something good. For now, our Constitution is the one we inherited from the dictatorship. And today we have the opportunity to make a difference for good.
"
An hour later, in downtown Santiago, demonstrators arrive at the gates of the inaugural session of the Constituent Assembly.
Elected officials interrupt the ceremony to protest against the intervention of the police.
Then the assembly elects its president.
Elisa Loncon, member of the Mapuche indigenous people: “
This assembly that I am chairing today will transform Chile into a plurinational, intercultural state.
A Chile that does not violate the rights of women, and that takes care of Mother Earth
”
The day ends with a minute of silence, in tribute to the victims of police violence, to the victims of the repression against the natives, to the victims of the Pinochet dictatorship, and finally to the victims of feminicides.
This assembly will have a maximum of one year to draft a new Constitution, which will then be submitted to a referendum.
►Also read: Constituent Assembly in Chile: "This process marks the beginning of the end of the Pinochet era"
Newsletter
Receive all international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
google-play-badge_FR
Chile