The social crisis is still going on in Chile. Two demonstrations were organized Saturday February 15 in Santiago: one in favor of the adoption of a new Constitution and the other demanding the maintenance of that in force.
In Plaza Italia, the epicenter of demonstrations in Santiago since the start of the crisis on October 18, thousands of protesters have once again demanded social reforms, including the adoption of a new constitution, during an enamelled demonstration of clashes with the police. A few kilometers away, more than a thousand gathered in front of the Military School to defend the maintenance of the current Constitution which dates back to the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). Participants peacefully demonstrated carrying banners with the word "Rejection", waving Chilean flags and chanting hostile slogans to the left.
These kinds of protests have multiplied in the past three weeks in the Chilean capital.
A controversial referendum
Chilean President Sebastian Piñera promulgated a law in December that would hold a referendum on April 26, 2020 on a change in the constitution.
A change to the current constitution, approved on September 11, 1980 in a controversial referendum during the military dictatorship, is one of the main demands expressed during the social protests that have rocked the country for more than two months. The consultation will include two questions: one on whether or not to replace the Constitution and the other, if any, on how to draft it.
This second question will have to determine which body will draft the future Constitution, either a Joint Congress – an idea supported by the government coalition – composed equally of citizens elected for this purpose and parliamentarians in office, or a Constituent Assembly entirely composed of citizens specifically elected to this end – proposal supported by the opposition and demanded by many demonstrators.
If the principle of a new Constitution is approved on April 26, the election of the Joint Congress or the Constituent Assembly will take place in October 2020. The body responsible for drafting will have nine months to prepare a new text, a period which may be extended by three months.
