a referendum to replace the Constitution established under the dictatorship

Adopt a new Constitution or keep the one imposed under the Pinochet dictatorship? This is the question answered by the fifteen million Chilean voters on Sunday 4 September. “In Chile, we must resolve our differences with more democracy, never with less. I am very proud that we have come this far”, declared Gabriel Boric, the Chilean president. According to its detractors, the Constitution of the Pinochet era, economically more liberal, would be a brake on any social reform.

The new text, drawn up by a Constituent Assembly, proposes to establish a welfare state. Among the articles of the new Constitution, the recognition of indigenous peoples, the guarantee of the right to education, public health and decent housing, environmental rights, and also the consecration of the right to abortion. If the new text is adopted, it would enter into force in ten days.