1 in 1 Kast party supporters celebrate the results. — Photo: Getty Images via BBC Kast party supporters celebrate the results. — Photo: Getty Images via BBC
The big winner of this Sunday’s (7) elections for the Constituent Council of Chile was the Republican Party of the far right.
With that, the party will contribute with 22 of the 51 MPs (50 representing political parties and one representing indigenous peoples) who will be tasked with writing a new constitution throughout the year.
Borics left coalition Unity for Chilereceived 28% of the votes and 17 MPs, fewer than the 21 that would give him veto power over the drafting of Magna Carta.
The conservative group Chile Seguro won 21.5% of the vote and secured the remaining 11 MPs, while the coalitions Todo por Chile and Partido de la Gente centreleft and liberal respectively are not represented.
a crucial win
The right and centreright coalitions will have a total of 33 MPs, giving them broad autonomy in drafting the Magna Carta, which will be put to a referendum to replace the current one adopted in 1980.
Additionally The farright party’s victory is seen as particularly symbolic at a time when Boric’s government’s popularity is at an alltime low..
The poll also had a large number of zero and blank votes, exceeding 2.2 million, more than 21% of the total.
The election took place at 38,665 polling stations spread across 2,932 polling stations across Chile.
The 51 members of the council must draft a new proposal for a constitution to replace the one enacted during the military regime of General Augusto Pinochet.
This constitutional text was drafted by a commission dominated by leftwing and independent representatives. The defeat of this group prompted a review of the strategy for implementing a new Magna Carta.
the reactions
After the results were announced, Kast addressed his supporters in Santiago de Chile, to whom he dedicated his party’s “triumph”.
He assured that Sunday’s victory “is a strong and clear sign of the direction that (Chileans) want for our country”. Nevertheless, he stressed that “there is nothing to celebrate because Chile is not doing well” and alluded to the economic and security problems affecting the country.
For his part, Boric acknowledged the defeat, which he affirmed was “marked by the security and immigration crisis that has deeply permeated the minds of our compatriots”.
The President called on the rightwing parties, who will lead the new Constitutional Council, to “reach great deals for our homeland.”
Rightwing parties win majority in council that will write new constitution in Chile
The new Constitutional Council
The elected council has 50 members, evenly distributed: 25 men and 25 women, in addition to an indigenous representative.
The 50 elected this Sunday must prepare the Magna Carta proposal on the basis of a draft by an expert commission made up of 24 professionals appointed by the political parties and already working on a text to be presented on June 7th.
About 12.5 million citizens (82.7%) out of more than 15.1 million went to the polls.
Participation in the elections was compulsory, and those who did not vote could be fined between 31,000 and 189,000 Chilean pesos (190 to 1,180 R$).
According to the police, more than 100,000 Chileans gave reasons for not voting such as the distance to the polling station and to avoid fines.
Election day passed quietly, although some minor incidents were reported.
At a police station in the central Araucanía region, hooded men fired four shots during voting, but caused no injuries. Early in the morning, a woman who worked as a table worker in Galvarino (also in Araucanía) died suddenly of respiratory arrest.