Chile began this Wednesday the campaign towards the plebiscite of September 4 of a new Constitution with veteran center-left leaders inclined to reject it and a “Happy Approval” viralized by ‘the Mandalorian’ Pedro Pascal, a popular Chilean actor in Hollywood.
(Read: Chile: Boric receives the final text of the new Constitution, what’s next?)
With posters on the streets, outside subway stations, the campaign shows a strong presence in the national voice media who reject a project they consider “partisan”.
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They maintain that “it does not arouse consensus” and that it was drawn up by a Constitutional Convention to which they attribute revengeful airs.
Former socialist president Ricardo Lagos (2000-2006) shook up the political debate on Tuesday when he released an ambiguous letter without deciding whether to “reject” or “approve.”
Lagos stressed that neither the current Constitution inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990) and reformed in democracy, nor the new Magna Carta project summons “a great majority of citizens.”
Chile deserves a Constitution that arouses consensus and since neither of the two texts that may result from the plebiscite is in a position to achieve it
“The political challenge is to continue with the constitutional debate until reaching a Constitution that interprets the majority,” Lagos, 84, wrote.
While Lagos’s words stood out on the front pages of printed newspapers on Wednesday, on social media the actor Pedro Pascal bit into a copy of the new Constitution and with a mischievous look mentioned: “#I approve #I approveFeliz #Chile.” The images were viralized and celebrated by fans of the Star War universe series, The Mandalorian.
Rodrigo Espinoza, a political scientist at the Diego Portales University, told AFP that “you are seeing a trench where the elites of the traditional parties are cornering themselves towards the ‘Rejection’ and in the world of ‘I approve’, citizen voices are coming out to refloat rather like the world of culture, of social movements, of the feminist movement, which are basically the ones who are going to raise the option of ‘I approve'”.
Just as it happened for the October 2020 plebiscite when 78% of the electorate approved the drafting of a new Constitution, “I think the ‘I approve’ will be more in the hands of the social world than of the political parties in Chile,” said the academic .
Those of R3ch4z0 are not credible, they want to deceive us by saying that now they do want to change, which in 30 years they never wanted to change, that is why they are terrified of #approve because their privileges are touched. That’s why #ApproveHappy !!! pic.twitter.com/8HOoYe7rcN
— Guillermo Molina Holmes (@Pusmo) July 6, 2022
approval or rejection
Two months before the plebiscite that will consult more than 15 million citizens if they approve or reject the text, “it will once again be the people who will have the last word on their destiny.
“We are beginning a new stage,” President Gabriel Boric said last Monday.. In the 2020 entry plebiscite, participation was 50% and it was voluntary. The next September 4 will be by mandatory vote.
For the national campaign on violence against women, we started dialogues with:
✅26 social organizations
✅Advisors from 6 ministries
✅ Workers @MinMujeryEG @SernamEGChile who attend day to dayWe will replicate in regions to put together a participatory and +effective proposal
– Antonia Orellana (she/she) (@totiorellanag) July 5, 2022
Politics began to choose sides and try to influence from the traditional political parties, which have been relegated in the last elections in a climate of deep mistrust and discredit in Chilean institutions.
The current right-wing opposition in Chile positioned itself at the beginning of June towards the option of rejecting the new Constitution, alleging that the text “is bad for Chile” and does not represent the entire country.
From the Christian Democracy (DC) Senator Yasna Provoste -former presidential candidate- opted to approve, as did her partner Senator Francisco Huenchumilla.
However, from DC itself, Senator Ximena Rincón indicated that she will reject the project because “it is not good for the country.” The left-wing ruling party aims to approve en bloc.
surveys
The most recent polls give advantage to the ‘Rejection’ when they ask the citizens what they would vote if today were the plebiscite.
The Criteria firm showed that two months from the date the ‘Rejection’ option obtains 48%, the ‘I Approve’ option obtains 31%, and 22% still do not know what they will vote for. The Cadem pollster assigns 51% to the ‘Rejection’ option , 34% to the ‘I approve’ option and 15% to the undecided.
From TuInfluyes.com, facing the same scenario, it gives 46% to reject and 41% to approve, while 13% have not yet decided.
constitutional project
In the new fundamental text, emanating from a constituent body with 154 conventional elected for the first time in history on a parity basis and with seats reserved for indigenous peoples, it establishes a catalog of social rights according to the demands raised in 2019 during social protests.
Universal public health and quality, free education, decent pensions or protection of water and the environment were some claims that were reflected in the new text. Finally there are 388 articles, in 11 chapters, and 57 temporary application rules.
The first article reads: “Chile is a social and democratic state of law. It is multinational, intercultural, regional and ecological.”
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP
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