Since 1990, after the Pinochet dictatorship, Chile has distinguished itself in all fields. The poverty index has gone from 40% to the current 8% and all indicators (GDP per capita, access to drinking water, inflation) have significantly improved thanks to the liberal policies promoted during the dictatorship and modified in the democratic regime.
For more than 20 years, Chile has stood out for prosperity and social peace under the leadership of the Concertación, a center-left coalition, and moderate opposition.
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However, in 2019 an increase in the price of the metro ticket triggered a serious social conflict, which exposed the different problems of the country, becoming a protest against inequalities and abuses in the private sector. The government has experienced very complex moments and violence has spread throughout the country: in the face of this all political parties, with the exception of the Communist Party, have sought as a political solution the establishment of a new Constitution to definitively archive the one born during the dictatorship.
Saturday and Sunday the “constituents” will be elected (with the same electoral system of the election of deputies) who will have one year to draft the new Constitution. The current climate is favorable to the establishment of “social rights” and the abandonment of the subsidiary role (in many areas the state intervenes only where the private sector cannot) which gives a great preponderance to the private sector in education, health and in the pension system.
The campaign took place in relative tranquility, amidst a profusion of candidates and the complex scenario imposed by the epidemic.
The basic question is what will emerge from the constituent process and what would happen if we did not arrive at a text shared by all. There are two mechanisms that try to guarantee consensus: agreements must be made with two / thirds of the vote and, once the new Constitution is finalized, it must be submitted to a referendum and approved by the citizens. And while both of these are a good guarantee, because they will force you to seek agreements, they also pose a big question mark as to what will happen if this cannot be achieved. In short, a scenario of uncertainty that overturns almost three decades of surprising tranquility and prosperity compared to neighboring countries.