Chile’s Constitution Rewrite Underway After Chaotic Start
Demonstrators clash with riot police during the opening session of the Constitutional Convention in Santiago, Chile, on July 4.
Photographer: Claudio Santana/Getty Images
Chile’s process to draft a new constitution got underway on Sunday after its start was postponed due to clashes between the police and protesters in downtown Santiago.
Elisa Loncon, a representative of the Mapuche indigenous people, was elected as president by the constitutional convention of 155 delegates after two rounds of voting. The inauguration had to be suspended earlier for several hours as police fired tear gas and used water cannons to disperse crowds in the capital. Some elected assembly-members had refused to participate in the ceremony as long as police special forces remained near the building.