A week before the vote in which Chileans will decide whether to approve or reject the new Constitution, the streets of the country’s main cities have become the scene of demonstrations. 15 million votes are expected in the plebiscite, in which participation is mandatory.
With the population divided —but inclined to vote against the proposal, according to the most recent polls—, what is seen in the acts are groups focused on discussing specific issues of the new text. In recent days, for example, thousands have taken to the streets of Santiago asking “yes” to the Charter for guaranteed access to housing.
Women’s marches were held defending the articles of the new Constitution that provide for access to abortion and gender parity in public administration. Students and indigenous people organized marches in support of the clause that defines Chile as a plurinational and intercultural State and recognizes the sovereignty of indigenous nations — indigenous peoples correspond to 12% of the population, but are not even mentioned in the current Constitution, inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Groups of environmentalists demonstrated riding bicycles, and many carried flags defending the approval of the text, with demands for ecological guidelines and symbols of the Mapuche, the most numerous indigenous group in the country. The wording of the new Charter states that “nature has rights” and that “the State and society have a duty to protect and respect them”.
Those who say they reject the proposal are also campaigning on the streets of Chile. In Puente Alto, one of the poorest neighborhoods in Santiago, a group of women carried banners that read sentences against the text.
“Our will is not expressed in the Charter,” says Marcela Sepúlveda, leader of the Women’s Corporation and Chilean Traditions. “We don’t pass the new gender laws and we want to make that clear, we want our traditions respected.”
The text that could become the new Constitution also faces strong opposition in the south of the country, where there are violent conflicts between Mapuche groups and landowners. The marches in the region mark a position against articles related to indigenous sovereignty, access to education in native languages and indigenous justice, which would allow indigenous groups to maintain legal systems linked to the ancestral tradition of each tribe — a model similar to that adopted in Bolivia, for example.
For political scientist Claudia Heiss, there is a mismatch between “yes” and “no” regarding the way in which these agendas are presented to public opinion.
“The campaign for approval lacks funds, there are few donations and little public advertising, but this is being compensated by the demonstrations in the streets, by the action of civil and student organizations, which are promoting cultural and awareness events.” On the other hand, the movement for rejection, according to Heiss, has a strong propaganda appeal on the streets and in the media.
This may be one of the factors that explain the change in voting intentions in recent months. In January, 56% of Chileans said they would vote in favor of the new Charter, compared to 33% who would vote against it, according to a poll by Cadem. The difference has narrowed and, since April, the scenario has been reversed, with “no” having an advantage over “yes” — the latest survey allowed by electoral legislation points to 46% against, 37% in favor and 17% undecided.
There are nuances, however, on both sides. Among voters who want to bury the Pinochet-era Constitution once and for all, there are groups defending that, after the promulgation of the new text, some points should be reformed. A similar movement also takes place in the other field: part of those who must vote for rejection is not opposed to all the clauses, so that there is an intersection between the two extremes.
“The rejection must win, not to bury all the effort, but to re-debate issues that were hastily put into the text, almost like a draft”, says Carol Brown, a lawmaker who belongs to the right-wing UDI party.
The government of leftist Gabriel Boric, which is in favor of the proposal, was forced to think of a plan B in the face of potential rejection. Since the Constitution currently in force has already been disapproved in the 2020 plebiscite, the president says that there is room to negotiate a new wording of the text – a movement that has already received the endorsement of the main parties of the Chilean right.
Who has been explaining how the plan will be the Secretary of the Presidency, Giorgio Jackson. “We will have to reach a consensus, through Congress, to establish the mechanism for the renegotiation of articles that cause rejection, in addition to a new approval system. There will be necessary adjustments that must be debated and approved through institutional channels”, he said. .
