With more than 95% of the votes counted, the right-wing Republican Party emerged victorious this Sunday in elections to define Chile’s Constitutional Council, which will be tasked with drafting a new constitution in the coming months.
The group of José Antonio Kast, a far-right candidate who lost the 2021 presidential election to current President Gabriel Boric, has garnered more than 35% of the vote, according to the Chilean Electoral Service (Servel).
With that number of votes, it will provide 22 of the 51 council members (50 candidates from political parties and one from indigenous peoples) who have to draft a new constitution by the end of 2023, a number that ensures veto power.
Paradoxically, the Republican Party refused to sign the so-called Accord for Chile, which allowed the process to continue after the September 2022 referendum setback, when a majority of voters rejected a first draft constitution.
Boric’s left-wing coalition, Unity for Chile (Communist, Socialist, Liberal parties, the Social Green Regionalist Federation and the Broad Front), received 28% of the vote and will have 17 councillors, down from the 21 that would have given him the veto power at the Drafting of the Magna Carta.
The basic bill is put to a referendum to replace the 1980 constitution promulgated under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). The previous proposal was defeated in the September 2022 referendum by 62% against
The conservative group Chile Seguro won 21.5% of the vote, which will provide the remaining 11 directors, and has pledged its support to the Republican Party.
The Todo por Chile (centre-left) and People’s Party (liberal) alliances would not be represented.
The results guarantee 34 advisers from the right-wing and centre-right coalitions, with the majority needed to introduce concepts into the constitutional text without negotiation.
In addition to the dominance of the right wing, analysts and media have highlighted the high number of zero and blank votes registered, more than 2.2 million, representing 21% of the total ballots.
According to the Electoral Service, 4.55% of voters deposited their blank ballot and 16.94% canceled it. Added to this is the high number of those who have excused themselves from participating.
At the end of the day, President Gabriel Boric acknowledged the results and urged those elected to proceed with wisdom and moderation, using dialogue as a means of overcoming differences.
On Election Day, 38,665 polling stations were operational, located in 2,932 open stores across the country.
The council elected this Sunday is composed of 50 representatives with an equal distribution: 25 men and 25 women, in addition to the indigenous representative.
At the beginning of November, the editors have to present the new constitution, which will be put to the referendum on December 17th.
Unlike the first constituent process, when the drafters of the text started from scratch, the 50 advisers work on a draft constitution, which is prepared by 24 experts appointed by the political parties.
According to reports, 10.4 million Chileans took part in the elections this Sunday, 68% of the more than 15.1 million called to vote.
Voting was mandatory. According to police, more than 100,000 people have given reasons not to vote and avoid being fined.
(With information from AP, PL and BBC Mundo)