After counting 23% of the ballots in the referendum on the Constitution, the Chilean Electoral Service (Servel) indicated that 37% voted in favor of the proposed Constitution and 62% voted “Reject,” a trend that practically already signifies the victory of the latter option.
Although the final results are not yet known, Servel detailed that in Chile’s 16 regions, the “Reject” option won, including the metropolitan region where Santiago is located, where many experts had predicted a victory for the “Agree” option.
The 388-article text drafted by the Constitutional Convention over a year was thus discarded.
The new constitution, focused on social rights, the environment, gender parity, and indigenous rights, would replace the current market-friendly text dating back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship.
The new text stemmed from an agreement between lawmakers and protesters to quell violent protests against inequality in 2019.
Voting centers around the country reported long lines and high turnout as Chileans took part in the mandatory vote, which experts say adds uncertainty to polls, which have consistently showed a greater chance of rejection than support.
The executive, legislative and political parties are expected to reach a new agreement in the coming days that will allow the constitutional process to continue.
There is a political consensus on both the left and the right that the constituent process should continue with a new constitutional convention fully elected by the people.
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