Chile Draft Charter Showcases Divide Likely to Scuttle Proposals

  • Beatriz Hevia said Chile had been submerged in crisis
  • Polls show voters will likely reject proposal in referendum

Demonstrators protest against the constitutional process in Santiago, Chile on June 7, 2023.

Photographer: Cristobal Olivares/Bloomberg
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Chile’s Constitutional Council on Tuesday presented a draft charter in a ceremony mirroring deep divisions in the nation over the second rewrite of the basic laws in as many years.

The draft constitution emerged from a social and moral crisis in Chile that started with a wave of protests in late 2019, and it aims to unite a fractured nation, said Council President Beatriz Hevia. On the other hand, government politicians said it failed to meet the demands of voters looking to soften Chile’s free-market economic model.