Chile voted to write a new constitution. Will it promise more than the government can deliver?
Chileans went to the polls this past Sunday, in a referendum postponed by the pandemic. On the ballot: should Chile replace the 1980 Constitution written by dictator Gen. Augusto Pinochet? If so, who should write the new constitution? The referendum occurred following a year of protests over economic and social inequality, with some protests swelling to over a million people.
With turnout the highest in any election since 2012, nearly 80 percent of Chileans chose a new constitution. What’s more, roughly 80 percent also preferred a constitutional convention composed wholly of everyday citizens, instead of a convention composed of half citizens and half members of the Chilean Congress.… Seguir leyendo »