Chile Takes First Step Toward New Constitution with Constituent Assembly to Replace 'Dictatorship Relic' Current Constitution

Composed of 155 Members Including Teachers, Housewives, and Welfare Workers
Mapuche Indigenous Women Lawmakers to Lead the Constituent Assembly

The former National Assembly building of Chile where the Constituent Assembly will convene [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] The Constituent Assembly, launched to discard the current constitution enacted during the military dictatorship era in the South American country Chile and create a new constitution, officially began its constitutional drafting work on the 4th (local time).

The Chilean Constituent Assembly, composed of 155 members, held its inauguration ceremony and first meeting at the old National Congress building in the capital Santiago on the same day.

The Constituent Assembly will draft a new constitution over the next nine months to a maximum of one year. Once a draft approved by more than two-thirds of the members is completed, it will be finalized through a national referendum.

The drafting of Chile's new constitution is a result of the social inequality protests that shook the entire country in 2019.

The protests, triggered by a fare increase in the Santiago subway, called for the abolition of the current constitution enacted during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, who ruled from the 1970s to the 1990s.

The reason was that the current constitution, based on neoliberalism, was the fundamental cause of social inequality.

As casualties mounted and protests intensified, the political circles agreed to hold a national referendum for drafting a new constitution, and in last year's referendum, 78% of the people supported abolishing the Pinochet constitution and creating a new one.

Subsequently, the 155-member Constituent Assembly was formed through voting in May.

On the 4th (local time), members of the Constitutional Assembly gathered in Santiago, the capital of Chile, to hold the first meeting for drafting a new constitution.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

In that election, reflecting public resentment against the established elite, many left-leaning independent candidates were elected rather than politicians affiliated with existing parties. Also, right-wing members did not even occupy one-third of the total seats, and thus the right-wing camp was unable to exercise veto power over the constitutional draft.

This is also analyzed as a reflection of the people's desire for policies based on equality rather than neoliberal policies.

The Constituent Assembly was composed with gender balance, including 78 men and 77 women, and 17 of the 155 members were allocated as indigenous representatives.

While the current constitution was created by a small elite class, foreign media explained that this Constituent Assembly consists of various professions such as lawyers, teachers, housewives, scientists, social workers, veterinarians, writers, journalists, actors, and doctors.

On the 4th (local time) in Santiago, the capital of Chile, Elisa Loncon, Chairwoman of the Constitutional Convention (center), is holding up the Chilean flag inside the legislative building ahead of the new constitution drafting process by the Constitutional Convention.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Particularly, attention is focused on Elisa Loncon, a Mapuche woman, who was elected as the chairperson to lead this Constituent Assembly.

Chairperson Loncon received 96 votes out of 155 members during the election process for the chairperson position.

Chairperson Loncon said, "I would like to express my gratitude that members from various factions chose a Mapuche woman to undertake the work of changing this country's history."

Since people from diverse backgrounds have gathered in the Constituent Assembly, opinions from various sectors can be reflected during the drafting process; however, this also means that reaching consensus will be difficult, making the process of completing the draft arduous. In particular, since no faction secured more than two-thirds of the seats required to approve the constitution draft, it is anticipated that alliances and negotiations among various factions will be inevitable.

As a sign of such difficulties in negotiations, the inauguration ceremony was held amid a chaotic atmosphere.

On the 4th (local time), protesters and police clashed around the building where the Constituent Assembly is held in Santiago, the capital of Chile.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

Outside the National Congress building on that day, clashes occurred between the police and protesters ahead of the Constituent Assembly meeting as the police suppressed the demonstrators. Some constituent members protested against the police suppression and temporarily refused to attend the inauguration ceremony, causing the event to start more than an hour later than scheduled, according to Chilean media.

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