The overwhelming rejection of a new constitutional text by Chile’s electorate (over 60% voted against it) has made worldwide headlines. International public opinion is baffled. The Chilean constitutional process has been followed with great interest around the world. Although there were many protests in 2018 and 2019, both in Latin America and elsewhere, the only case in which these protests led to an institutionalised process to renew the country’s social contract was Chile.
A difficult phase
This meant that, after the violent, unprecedented uprising that took place on October 18, 2019, that led to the burning of churches, looting of supermarkets and the destruction of 118 subway stations, a national agreement was signed by most political parties on November 15 of that year. This included a timeline on the way forward to a new Constitution to replace the one inherited from General Augusto Pinochet, a charter which, after 40 years, continues to rule Chile.
