(ANSA) - SANTIAGO DEL CHILE, MAY 15 - Almost 15 million thousand inhabitants are called to go to the polls today starting at 8 (14 Italian), and also tomorrow, as part of a historic election that will allow them to choose from 1,278 candidates , the 155members of a Constituent Assembly charged with sending the Constitution imposed in 1980, in full dictatorship, by General Augusto Pinochet, into the archives of history.
It will be a complex process, because each voter will receive various ballots, in addition to the one for the Constituent Assembly, to choose 16 governors, 345 mayors and the members of the Chilean regional and municipal councils.
Shortly before the polls opened, President Sebastián Piñera sent a message via Twitter inviting the population to give their opinion. "Voting - he said - is to honor democracy and respect our society. May the voice of the people in this historic election be heard strong today, in order to elect together the members of the Constituent Assembly, governors, mayors and regional and municipal councilors".
This appointment, which will end with the second day of voting tomorrow at 18 (24 Italian), was reached with a referendum held last October, in the wake of many months of popular protests against the government, to determine the composition of the Constituent Assembly , which had a participation of 80% of those entitled.
But for this electoral round, which will take place with the application of strict bio-health protocols due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the forecasts on the eve are that the turnout will be around 50% or less. (HANDLE).
