Chile’s Constituent Assembly begins today the drafting of the first article of the new Constitution, exactly on the second anniversary of the historic protests that shook the economic model and initiated the process of restructuring the country.
“With the same strength and the same conviction, today we are preparing to begin writing the content of Chile’s first multinational constitution,” Constituent Assembly Chair Elisa Loncón said on social media.
At 15:00 in Santiago (19:00 in Lisbon), discussion of the first article will begin. At the same time, more than 50 demonstrations are planned, most in the capital.
To avoid a repeat of the acts of vandalism that marked these violent clashes between police and protesters, the authorities recommended that traffickers close them before the meeting. More than 5,000 security agents were called in to contain the unrest.
October 2019 Protests
It was on October 18, 2019, when a group of students began to protest the rise in metro fares, unaware that the move would lead to a giant popular uprising movement against inequality, Chile’s greatest social calamity.
With the active participation of the middle class, the mega-protests caused social frustration and highlighted the depletion of the country’s economic system.
The consequence of this explosive growth was a referendum in October 2020, which decided whether a new constitution would be adopted.
“The Chileans were unhappy not because the country was on the wrong track, but because they did not feel included in their own country. Chile has grown strongly, but with high levels of inequality. The emerging middle class did not want to end the party, but to be nonetheless, the same elite that was committed to fighting poverty was unwilling to share the privileges. The protests have distorted this position by force, “Chilean political scientist Patricio Navia of the Diego Portales University in Chile and New York University, USA, explained to Luce.
popular statement
Two years later, on October 18, 2021, MPs will begin to shape the main popular demand: the end of the current neoliberal Constitution of 1980, imposed by the dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), which was considered a sore spot of social inequality.
In parallel with the writing of the first article, the Chamber of Deputies, with the majority of the opposition, is starting the process of dismissing President Sebastian Piñera, based on the details revealed during the investigation of the Pandora Papers.
In fact, this is the second dismissal process that Piñera has faced since overcoming charges in November 2019 of violent crackdown on protests that killed 29 people and injured more than 3,000, as well as several allegations of human rights violations.
In those days, the government imposed a curfew and the military returned to repression, which has not been the case in Chile since the Pinochet dictatorship.
The work of the Constituent Assembly, elected in May, began on 4 July, but has so far been limited to the definition of the rules.
In May, Chileans elected a majority of left and center-left MPs, marking the end of Chile’s neoliberal experience unique to the region.
More democratic participation period
Starting today, Chile must go through a period of the most democratic and active participation in its history, along with a period of uncertainty that threatens the country’s economic stability.
“Chileans want change, but they no longer identify with any leadership or recognize traditional parties as agents of change. There is no one who benefits from the protests. This is an orphaned, integral process of a political project, ”political analyst Carlos told Lusa. Melendez from the University of Chile Diego Portales.
The Constituent Assembly will have nine months (with the possibility of extension for another three) to develop a new social pact between the state and citizens. Two months later, Chileans will return to the polls for a referendum in which they will accept or reject a new constitution. Thus, Chile’s new birth certificate will only be released in the second half of 2022.
“Large demonstrations have led to this constitutional process. It was the politicization of inequality. However, the new constitution does not guarantee that inequality will be reduced, ”says Melendez.
In parallel with the work on the new Constitution, the country is running for the next general elections on 21 November. The constituent assembly must influence the campaign, and the elections, in turn, must influence the assembly.
