Chileans vote for constitutional reform in historic referendum

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Protesters in Santiago: The country is facing upheaval

Photo: IVAN ALVARADO / REUTERS

For a year now, a growing protest movement has been calling for fundamental changes in Chile.

Only last weekend, on the anniversary of the first mass protests, tens of thousands were on the streets despite Corona.

Now Chile actually seems to be on the way to a new constitution.

After counting the votes cast in a referendum on Sunday in 45 percent of the polling stations, those in favor of the drafting of a new fundamental right were ahead with around 78 percent.

14.8 million citizens of the South American country should decide whether the current constitution of 1980 - from the time of the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet (1973 to 1990) - should be replaced.

This was one of the core demands of the demonstrators who took to the streets against the government for weeks about a year ago.

The Conservative President Sebastián Piñera spoke after the closing of the polling stations in the evening (local time) in a speech of a victory for democracy and unity.

"So far, the constitution has divided us," said the 70-year-old.

In the Plaza Italia in the capital Santiago, which has been called "Plaza de la Dignidad" (Place of Dignity) by many since the protests, and in central squares in other cities, numerous people have already celebrated peacefully.

Who should draft the all-important constitutional paper?

The referendum also decided on a second question: whether a constituent assembly should be made up entirely of delegates to be elected this coming April - half men and half women - or whether half of the body should consist of parliamentarians.

According to initial results, the first variant led here with around 79 percent of the votes.

The assembly should submit a draft after one year at the latest, on which the citizens then vote again.

The current constitution has always been criticized because of its authoritarian origin, the strong bundling of powers in the central government and the limited influence of the citizens.

Proponents of a new constitution now want to strengthen the social role of the state, include basic rights to work, health care, education and drinking water, and establish the recognition of indigenous peoples.

The referendum had been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic; it was originally planned for April.

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