Chile: Overcoming the failure of the constitutional reform
Le Monde.frSep 05, 2022
On Sun., Chilean voters overwhelmingly rejected a 388-article progressive proposal to replace the Gen. Pinochet-era constitution, marking a setback for Chile's newly-elected Pres. Gabriel Borić.
According to the Chile Electoral Service, nearly 62% of voters opposed the new document, which failed to gather support even in the metropolitan area of the capital Santiago – a Borić stronghold in the 2021 presidential election.
Chileans had the chance to get rid of Pinochet's neoliberal constitution but the "Rechazo" camp contaminated this referendum with a disinformation campaign. For now, the country has been unable to advance in social issues and increase environmental protection. But as the democratic process still stands, there's still hope for reform.
This proposal was doomed to be rejected as the constitutional convention – which was disproportionately left-leaning due to low turnout in the original advisory referendum – failed to represent Chile's average voter and alienated the center-right camp. The text would've instated unconventional and nonsensical rights.