Far Right versus Highly and Decidedly progressive
The far-right Republican party will dominate the constitutional drafting process. It won an overwhelming majority in the elections on May 7. A process that started with highly progressive ideals manifested far-right reaction.
The pendulum swung heavily. In 2020, a majority of voters – with non-voters comprising a vast portion of the electorate – chose to replace the current Constitution.
In the drafting process, established politicians and all parties were marginalized by the electorate, as the Constitutional Convention comprised 60 percent independent members. In December 2021, decidedly leftist Gabriel Boric was elected president on a record margin.
Then in September 2022, the constitutional draft was rejected by 62 percent, this time voting was mandatory. On May 7, the far-right Republicans swept the elections for advisers to the Constitutional Council that is writing a new draft. The party won 23 of 51 seats, giving it veto power over an expert committee. The electorate empowered the heirs of Pinochet to write an even more conservative and restrictive Constitution than the current one, which was imposed in 1980 and reformed during the Ricardo Lagos administration.
Never before had any Chilean right-wing party achieved such a strong showing in any election.
Chile Vamos, the coalition of traditional right-wing parties, will send 11 advisers to the council, cementing right-wing dominance.
The left coalition, which ran two lists, will send 16 representatives.
The government political parties of the coalition Unidad para Chile consisted of:
- Convergencia Social
- Revolución Democrática
- Comunes
- Federación Regionalista Verde Social
- Partido Socialista
- Partido Comunista
- Partido Liberal
- Acción Humanista
One representative will be indigenous, compared to 17 in the previous drafting body.
The political center was practically wiped out.
https://chiletoday.cl/what-the-far-right-victory-means-for-chilean-politics/
https://chiletoday.cl/chiles-path-to-a-new-constitution/
https://chiletoday.cl/kast-about-election-victory-chile-has-defeated-a-failed-government/
https://chiletoday.cl/republican-party-wins-constitutional-council-election-by-large-margin/