Chile begins drafting new constitution for deeply divided society beset with inequalities

A 155-member elected body in Chile tasked with drafting a new constitution for the South American nation has officially started working on what many hope could help set a new path forward for the divided country.

The unicameral constituent assembly, called the Constitutional Convention, designated Elisa Loncón, a Mapuche indigenous leader, as the president of the legislative body.

"There are many hopes focused on this historic constituent process. For the first time, Chileans have the opportunity to establish a new constitution through a participatory process, where new foundations for this diverse and conscious (nation) will be established," said Carlos Adasme, former mayor of Maipo Island, an inland territory some 50 kilometers south from Chile's capital city Santiago.

The current constitution of Chile, which will be replaced by the new one drafted by the Constitutional Convention, was written in 1980, when Augusto Pinochet was ruling the country. Pinochet's constitution replaced a previous one dating back to 1925.

Chile is profoundly divided in political terms. Social unrest severely hit the country in 2019 and 2020 and, as a consequence, President Sebastian Pinera oversaw a national plebiscite last year to seek the opinions of Chileans on writing a new constitution that can help initiate a new chapter for the nation.

In the referendum, which was held on Oct 25, over 78 percent of Chileans who cast their ballots said they favored constitutional change. However, participation in the exercise was relatively low, with only 50.9 percent of those registered to vote joining the poll.

Referring to the referendum and the subsequent go-ahead for elections to choose members of the Constitutional Convention, Juan Carlos Aguilera, founder of Polites Club, an initiative to promote civic dialogue, said it was a "political response" to a situation of violent rebellion and social unrest.

However, there have been questions about the composition of the body that will draft the new constitution. The members of the so-called Constitutional Convention, who were elected in May this year, include some with extreme ideological leanings.

"There has been no progress on peace and we are in a situation that involves drafting a new constitution, in which the elected members of the Convention include several who are and were protagonists of the so-called front line that destroyed an important part of the historical, cultural and religious heritage of the country," Aguilera said.

On July 4, when the Constitutional Convention gathered for the first time, a group of members of the legislative body forbade playing the Chilean anthem and raising the Chilean flag in the hemicycle.

"We are facing a group of people who have no intention of dialogue, but rather of imposing their re-foundational vision of the country, eradicating all patriotic traditions and leaving aside all our symbols that have proudly represented us for decades …," said Pamela Pizarro, executive director of Cuide Chile Foundation.

"The real intention of those leftist groups together with anarchist groups was always to re-found our country not only from the economic system that we have today, but rather to declare Chile as a plurinational, plural, autonomous and sovereign state," she said.

It is to be seen if dialogue is built between members of the unicameral constituent body during the next months. The Constitutional Convention has up to one year to draft a new constitution that would need to be endorsed by the people in the polls, once the process at the legislative body is over.

"I hope that what is written is from a blank page and allows us to rewrite a new constitution based on our desires, realities, with a participation that guarantees that this new Magna Carta will be built according to the times we live in … ," Adasme said.

However, Aguilera warns that anything written in the new constitution could be in vain, if there is no economic growth in the country.

"Over 2 million Chileans are in poverty and out of them, about 600,000 are living in extreme poverty conditions… while there are about 1 million jobless Chileans," he said.

"One can write whatever is desired in the new constitution, but reality always takes over."

For Adasme, the roots of the social gap in the country lie in the constitution that is now set to be replaced.

The current legislative process to draft a new constitution could impact the results of the general elections in the country, scheduled to take place on Nov 21, with an eventual presidential runoff election envisaged for Dec 19.

The writer is a freelance journalist for China Daily.