Chilean citizens have made a decisive choice by voting against adopting a new conservative constitution, thus maintaining the legal framework established during Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship.
With the tabulation of ballots almost complete on Sunday evening, over 55 percent of the Chilean population rejected the new constitution, while approximately 44 percent supported it.
The proposed constitution, penned by a panel largely influenced by the conservative Republican Party, aimed to bolster property rights, embrace free-market policies, and implement restrictions on immigration and abortion.
This outcome arrives over a year subsequent to the resounding dismissal by Chileans of a progressive constitution proposition. This rejected constitution would have redefined Chile as a plurinational state, sanctioned autonomous Indigenous territories, and raised the status of environmental protection along with gender equity.
Leftist President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, had committed prior to the vote to prioritize long-term development over further constitutional amendments. Reacting to the results, he highlighted the polarization and division within the country.
"Let us unite to commence a new chapter for Chile: growth that benefits all, social justice, and public safety," stated Boric, who in 2021 became the nation's youngest president at age 35, following the voting.
Conversely, the Republican Party's leader Jose Antonio Kast expressed his disappointment with the outcome.
"We were unsuccessful in persuading the Chilean people that this would provide a superior constitution to the one currently in place," he commented.
The initiative to replace the existing constitution, conceived during Pinochet’s regime, gained momentum when nearly a million protesters demanded extensive political and social reforms in 2019.
Despite Chile's status as one of the wealthiest and most stable nations in Latin America, it also faces substantial wealth disparity compared to other developed countries.
In a 2020 referendum, a substantial majority, 80 percent of Chileans, voted in favor of substituting the Pinochet-era constitution, which has been held responsible for enabling corporate and elite profiteering at the expense of the poorer working class.
Nevertheless, public eagerness for change dampened in the subsequent years as issues like crime, the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflation surfaced as primary concerns.
Predictions from opinion polls preceding the latest vote anticipated its defeat.
Johanna Anríquez, a government employee who cast a ballot against the new constitution, shared with the Associated Press, "This whole process has been a misuse of government funds… it’s a farce."
"Let's stick to our current constitution and focus on enhancing public safety," she urged.
