(CNN Spanish) — The Republican Party of Chile’s list was pushed through this Sunday in the election of members of the Constituent Council, the body tasked with drafting a new proposal for a Magna Carta for citizens after the failed September 2022 process.
Counting 99.98% of polling stations, the Chilean Electoral Service (Servel) reported that the far-right list of former presidential candidate José Antonio Kast received 3,468,115 votes (35.40%), securing 22 seats out of a total of 50.
The Unity list for Chile, which combines parties of the ruling party, received 2,800,973 votes (28.59%) and won 17 seats. Following is the list of traditional right-wing groups Chile Seguro (21.07%), which won 11 seats; and then the invalid votes, which totaled 2,119,488 ballots (16.98%).
Supporters of the far-right Republican Party celebrate the victory of their candidates in an election to elect members of a constitutional council that will draft a new constitution at the Republican Party headquarters in Santiago May 7, 2023. (Source: JAVIER TORRES /AFP via Getty Images)
“Chile defeated a failed government and it needs to be said loud and clear. A government that was unable to face the crisis of insecurity, the immigration crisis, the economic crisis, the social crisis in terms of health, education, housing and many others,” said José Antonio Kast of the Republican Party headquarters in a press conference this Sunday.
For his part, Chilean President Gabriel Boric assured on Sunday that “the previous process failed, among other things, because we didn’t understand how we should listen to each other when we were different. I want to urge the Republican Party — which undeniably won the first majority in this election — from now on not to make the same mistake we made then. This process must not be a vendetta, but must put Chile and its people first, ahead of partisan or personal interests.”
With these results, the Chilean right as a whole has reached 33 constituent councilors and exceeded three-fifths of a quorum, allowing it to easily approve and amend regulations.
According to Servel, 12,483,719 people cast their votes in these compulsory elections.