Why Chile Is (Still) Writing a New Constitution

More than three years after Chilean lawmakers took on the task, the country is still working on a new constitution. The initial push ended in failure last September, when voters overwhelmingly rejected a draft that many saw as too radical. While the latest rewrite attempt includes safeguards aimed at avoiding past blunders, it faces no shortage of challenges.

The current one dates to the military dictatorship that ruled from 1973 to 1990. Though it’s been amended several times since Chile returned to democracy, many view the document as illegitimate because of its origins during the reign of General Augusto Pinochet, a violent dictator whose rule featured arbitrary arrests and political executions. Critics have also argued that elements of the constitution have entrenched inequality. When mass street protests began on Oct. 18, 2019, triggered by an increase in Santiago subway fares, demonstrators expanded their grievances to include problems with the pension, health care and education systems. In an effort to diffuse tensions, then-President Sebastian Pinera agreed to hold a 2020 referendum on whether to rewrite Chile’s charter and, if so, how. Almost 80% of voters said yes, and a large majority favored doing so by appointing a Constitutional Convention.