The division and fear spread in a bourgeoisie that will be able to decide this Sunday whether or not to bury the last vestige of the Pinochet dictatorship
In the midst of great uncertainty, embraced by a climate of fear and anxiety, between I want to but not allowed, confused and with many doubts in the body, Chile will vote this Sunday in a plebiscite in which it will decide whether it will approve the design of a new Magna Carta to bury the Magna Carta built during the dark past of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship between 1973 and 1990. A few days ago, the political scientist Cris Bellolio stated on the same pages that a few months ago this vote seemed to be a penalty without a goalkeeper. It was goal. It was characterized by the people and it was another defeat for the conservative right. But polls have shown that such a vote goes against the cheery predictions of “I approve” supporters. Despite the will and promises of the government of Gabriel Boric to provide Chile with a new constitution, no one today knows how the history of this country will continue, regardless of the outcome of the plebiscite.
On Friday, just two days before going to the polls, Chileans woke up to the news not only of the attempted assassination of Argentina’s Vice President Cristina Fernández, but also of a series of serious incidents in Santiago involving a attack on Simón Boric, the brother of President Gabriel Boric, when he tried to prevent the looting of a commercial building. The capital had experienced a day of violence that forced the government not only to reject the act, but also to call for caution and calm. It is likely that this situation of insecurity experienced and increasing this year will affect a lower turnout at the polls, which on this occasion can count on the votes of the over-65s who were unable to do so in the presidential elections due to the pandemic.
There are several reasons to explain why Chileans today are turning their backs on the sweeping change to their constitution. But none of them agree with what happened in October 2019. Three years ago they took to the streets to demonstrate, to protest against a government going one way and a society going the other, it was an eruption that took place with a lot of enthusiasm , like a party, but also with many violent outbreaks. Chileans didn’t just light a match in their country, they did it in the continent, which today is in full swing in search of a better way of life.
The government of the then president, Sebastián Piñera, gave in to strong social pressure. He called a referendum to vote yes or no to the drafting of a new constitution. 78% said ‘yes’. They chose a constitutional convention based on parity, in which there were equal numbers of women and men, in which many independents, marginalized groups and representatives of the original peoples, of the indigenous communities, could participate. Something new, almost exemplary. That yes, the conservative right, which has dominated the country for the past 30 years, barely had a voice and a voice.
It took the Convention a year to prepare the draft, but during that time there was fighting, a lack of more respectful dialogue, dissenters being called traitors, promulgating an abortion law, insulting feminists and abortion advocates. sexual diversity. But despite the convention’s loss of prestige, according to many political scientists, a good, moderate text has been produced, in which the autonomy of the Central Bank is respected, the right to property is guaranteed, there is recognition of the indigenous peoples, and the aim is greater equality. . That Yes, all standards have to be passed through Congress to turn them into law.
But what happens if the ‘no’ wins? In an interview with ‘The Clinic’, Claudia Heiss, director of the Political Science program at the University of Chile, who took part in the constitutional convention, expresses her concern about the difficulties the political process will entail. “The approval provides more certainty about the institutional path to follow because it generates an expectation of change. Rejection will exacerbate the conflict.”
Many Chileans are exhausted by this process that has left them facing each other for three years and living in a situation that they probably would not have experienced before the social outbreak. Patricio Guzmán, film director and director of many documentaries, including “My Imaginary Country”, based on the events of October 2019, which premiered in theaters on August 11, is convinced that “Chile today. It is a volcano that cannot It is a story that has erupted 40 years too late This Chile needs profound changes and must vote for the future.
President Boric has promised, whether it wins ‘yes’ or not, that he will fight to provide Chile with a new constitution. He has assured that he will promote a new process if the text is rejected or reform the most contradictory articles. Several sources close to the presidency have reported that the president has met privately with the presidents of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, with the aim of reaching broad consensus regardless of which option wins the plebiscite. It would lay down important rules for the creation of this new Magna Carta.
Source: La Verdad
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