Chile’s Constitutional Convention ratifies two-thirds vote to approve constitutional norms

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Constitutional Convention of Chile has ratified this Wednesday (29) the requirement of a two-thirds vote to approve the constitutional norms, one of the main stumbling blocks in the discussions on the regulations that will govern the body to draft the new Magna Carta.

The two-thirds minimum has been imposed rather than the proposal of the members of Chile Digno, Pueblo Constituyente, Movimientos Sociales, and the reserved seats, which intended to modify it so that the votes of three-fifths of the assembly would be necessary to approve the provisions that will form the new Constitution, reports ‘La Tercera’.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Chile

With the vote on this provision and others that have been dealt with this Wednesday, the convention is about to finalize the approval of its General Regulations, after which it will begin to debate the new background text of the Magna Carta, something that will happen as from next October 18, according to the vice-president of the convention, Jaime Bassa.

In addition to coinciding with the second anniversary of the social outburst, which led to the formation of this convention, the date will be barely a month before the presidential elections called in Chile for November.

The drafting of the new Constitution in Chile will replace the previous one approved in 1980 under the regime of Augusto Pinochet, which for many is still a legacy of the military dictatorship and a text that legitimizes the minimal involvement of the State in providing the most basic services to citizens.

The document promotes a neoliberal socioeconomic model in one of the most unequal Latin American countries – it has the highest GDP per capita in the region. This situation has served as fuel for indignation and protests against the government.