Election campaigns to approve or reject Chile’s proposed new constitution officially began on Wednesday, and high-profile political and public figures began choosing sides at a time when public support is faltering.
Chilean President Gabriel Boric expressed personal support for the new constitution, saying it would help his ambitious social and environmental agenda.
Pedro Pascal, the popular Chilean-American actor from “The Mandalorian” who supported Boric during the election, posted a photo on Twitter with the new constitution expressing his support.
Chile’s conservative politicians have opposed the new constitution from the start, but former socialist president Ricardo Lagos dealt a blow to the approval campaign on Tuesday after releasing a statement saying that both the proposed and existing constitutions are far behind. to rally support and rally “the vast majority of citizens”.
“What happened to Lagos is a tremendously important development when support for the proposal was already falling,” said Kenneth Bunker, head of political consultancy Tresquintos.
Bunker added that Lagos’ stance “opens the door for other center-left figures to join.”
Former United Nations president and human rights chief Michelle Bachelet had previously expressed support, but members of her government, including former finance minister Andres Velasco, spoke out against the new constitution on Wednesday. .
Nearly 80% of Chileans voted to draft a new constitution in 2020 to replace a text dating back to the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship that ended in 1990, but support was abandoned for months amid political controversies surrounding the process.
The latest survey by consultancy Cadem shows that 51% of respondents plan to vote on the new Magna Carta, an all-time high, while only 15% remain undecided.
“People want a new constitution, but apparently they don’t want this one,” Bunker said, adding that the government needs a “Plan B” to meet social demands if the new text is rejected.
A congressional committee approved the withdrawal of the current Constitution’s reform requirement by 2/3 to 4/7 of Congressional votes on Tuesday, a measure that will now be reviewed by the broader body.
Source: CNN Brasil
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