Chile: Handing Power Over to Those Who Defend Pinochet's Constitution

JUNE 15, 2023
BY ARIELA RUIZ CARO

The results of the election on May 7th to form the 51 members of the Constitutional Council who will finalize the drafting of the new Constitution represent a defeat for the government of President Gabriel Boric and for all those, not necessarily identified with left-wing parties, who believe that the 1980 Constitution should be replaced. This sentiment was expressed when, during the government of President Sebastián Piñera, the referendum on the change of the Magna Carta took place and almost 80% of the population opted for drafting a new text through a Constituent Assembly.

Rewinding time

This action was part of the Peace Agreement signed between that government and the opposition forces to end the historic protests that arose throughout the country in October 2019. The increase in metro fares was the spark that ignited the country. In Chile, there was a situation of social discontent, which was hidden behind the macroeconomic order, sustained growth, and one of the highest per capita GDP in the region.

High levels of inequality and a middle class living on the brink of the poverty line, along with declining social mobility that was growing faster than upward mobility, were plaguing Chilean society. The focal points of discontent focused on the failure of the private pension system and the increasing differences in the quality of the public and private education systems. The massive marches of high school students in 2006 and 2011, and those organized by the “No more AFP” movement against the Pension Fund Administrators in 2016 were some of its antecedents.

After the victory of the “Yes” vote for changing the Constitution in that October of 2020, the 155 constituents who would draft it were elected in May 2021. On the same date, regional governors (for the first time), mayors, and council members were also elected. The result was conclusive: independents won with 42% of the votes, followed by representatives of more radical left-wing forces grouped in the Apruebo Dignidad coalition (Broad Front, Communist Party, and other smaller parties). The results marked the beginning of the decline of moderate right-wing parties led by Sebastián Piñera and center-left parties that had alternately administered the neoliberal model inherited from the Pinochet regime.

More:
https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/06/15/chile-handing-power-over-to-those-who-defend-pinochets-constitution/