Chilean voters vote on a new progressive constitution

Santiago – Archyde.com
Chilean voters will go to the polls on Sunday to vote on a new progressive constitution that will replace the current Augusto Pinochet-era pro-market constitution. The new constitution is the result of an agreement reached to quell violent protests over inequality in 2019, and focuses on social rights, the environment, gender equality and indigenous rights.
While nearly 80 percent of Chilean voters voted in favor of drafting a new constitution in late 2020, opinion polls show public support for the new text waning amid concerns regarding some of the proposals and controversies surrounding those elected to draft it.
In April, the number of voters rejecting the new constitution outnumbered those in favor of it for the first time, and then progress continued to varying degrees. The latest opinion polls showed that 47 percent of voters reject the new constitution, compared to 38 percent of supporters and 17 percent of those who are undecided. More than 15 million Chilean citizens and residents are entitled to vote in more than 3,000 polling stations.
Polling stations close at 6 p.m. local time on Sunday, and everyone who arrives at the polling stations before that time must vote. The Election Commission in Chile: The results are expected to be announced within a few hours of completing the voting process. The ruling coalition has already agreed to amend the new constitution and 57 transitional rules will help guide the transition from the current constitution to the new constitution if it is approved by voters.