Voters in Chile Reject the Constitutional Proposal
Kanako Mita and Sawako Utsumi
Modern Tokyo Times
Voters in Chile rejected the new Constitution proposal after 55.45% rejected modifications. Accordingly, the Constitution put in place under Augusto Pinochet Ugarte will continue.
Following the rejection proposed by left-wing forces in Chile over 12 months ago, the latest rejection entailed that it was too conservative. Hence, the political divisions in Chile came to the forefront. Therefore, both forces failed to persuade the middle ground.
Voice of America reports, “The new document, largely written by conservative councilors, was more conservative than the one it had sought to replace, because it would have deepened free-market principles, reduced state intervention and might have limited some women’s rights.”
Michelle Bachelet, an ex-president of Chile, said, “I prefer something bad to something worse.”
The Guardian reports, “Up and down the country, people trudged in and out of polling stations on Sunday in the baking December heat, largely without enthusiasm after four years of political uncertainty and elections related to the constitution.”
In both votes on the Constitution, it appears that left-wing and right-wing forces have failed to attract the middle ground concerning the respective ideals both support.
The BBC says, “Among the criticisms made by left-wing opponents were that it failed to protect indigenous rights, could have allowed restrictions to reproductive rights, and enshrined private sector participation in the provision of services such as health, education, and pensions.”
AP News reports, “There appeared to be little enthusiasm for Sunday’s vote. Most citizens are exhausted after 10 elections of various types in less than 2½ years, but voting is compulsory in Chile.”
Modern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group
http://moderntokyotimes.com Modern Tokyo Times – International News and Japan News
http://sawakoart.com – Sawako Utsumi and her website – Modern Tokyo Times artist
https://moderntokyonews.com Modern Tokyo News – Tokyo News and International News
PLEASE JOIN ON TWITTER
https://twitter.com/MTT_News Modern Tokyo Times
PLEASE JOIN ON FACEBOOK