Chile to Change Constitution for the First Time in 41 Years

After Subway Fare Hike Protests... Evaluated as a Complete Break from the Dictatorship Era

On the 16th (local time), officials are conducting the vote counting process for the Constitutional Assembly election at a polling station in Santiago, the capital of Chile. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Chile is undertaking a complete revision of its constitution for the first time in 41 years. The current constitution, enacted during Augusto Pinochet's military dictatorship in 1980, will be abolished, and a new constitution will be drafted, marking a comprehensive break from the legacy of the past dictatorship era in Chile.

According to major foreign media on the 16th (local time), elections for the constituent assembly to draft the new constitution have been held for two consecutive days, following the previous day. According to the local election commission, the voter turnout as of the previous day was recorded at 20.4%.

The beginning of the new constitution drafting process was the large-scale protests that shook Chilean society in October 2019. The protests, triggered by opposition to a 50-won increase in subway fares, expanded into an expression of citizens' anger over inequality across various social sectors. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), currently 53% of all households in Chile are classified as economically vulnerable, and the bottom 20% income group accounts for only 5.1% of the national gross income.

The public criticized the current constitution, a legacy of the past dictatorship era based on neoliberalism, for producing such inequality and strongly demanded the drafting of a new constitution. The government accepted these demands and held a national referendum for the new constitution last October, which passed with an overwhelming 78% approval rate.

Accordingly, Chile held elections over two consecutive days, the 15th and 16th, to elect members of the constituent assembly for drafting the new constitution. Notably, the constituent assembly formed through this election will maintain a gender ratio of 78 men to 77 women out of a total of 155 seats, earning the title of the world's first constituent assembly with gender parity. Additionally, the population composition of indigenous peoples such as the Mapuche will be reflected, and members directly elected by indigenous peoples will also be included.

The constituent assembly will draft the new constitution over a maximum period of 12 months, after which it will be finalized through a national referendum. Al Jazeera reported, "This election is widely regarded as the most important election in the 31 years since democratization in 1990."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.