More participation than expected in the consultation to reform the Constitution of Chile

The organizers consider the consultation on the constitutional reform held in Chile a success. More than 2.1 million people have cast their ballots, in some cases with a higher turnout than the municipal elections. The first count shows 91% in favor of a new Constitution, which is why the president of the Chilean Association of Municipalities (AChM), Germán Codina, has described the initiative as a “success” and has urged to listen to the public. Participation is considered to have exceeded all “expectations” despite not being binding, according to information from the local newspaper La Tercera . “We are very happy, we wanted to create a wide space for participation (…) we have made all the means available for people to vote,” said Codina. Three questions were raised in the vote: the new Constitution and compulsory voting; the social agenda and local issues of each of the communes where the consultation has been held, more than 200 in total. «Obviously, here we are with a crisis of the development model and it is the citizens who have to help the authorities and guide them what do they want for our country, “explained Codina. In some communes, such as Ñuñoa, La Cisterna and Santiago, more people have voted than in the 2016 municipal elections. The total figure is also important given that in the elections Presidential elections of 2017, for the second round, some 7 million Chileans came to cast the vote. The mayor of Santiago, Felipe Alessandri (RN), says he is surprised by the response obtained: «We have more participation than in the last municipal election . More than 73,000 people voted, which shows that the population is ready to integrate.Without a doubt, we will come out of all this strengthened. ”The consultation has been developed mainly through the Internet, although schools and other points have also been enabled to vote in person. On this occasion, minors over 14 years of age have been allowed to participate. Chilean President Sebastián Piñera declared a state of emergency in response to the massive protests that broke out on October 17 against the fourth increase in the price of the subway in a few months. The protesters quickly took up other social demands, denouncing inequality and demanding a constitutional reform.