Chile Congress Backs Bill Making Constitution Changes Easier

Valentina Fuentes
·2 min read

(Bloomberg) -- Chile’s congress gave its final approval to a bill that makes it easier to amend the current constitution as polls show more voters inclined to reject the proposed new charter in next month’s referendum.

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The lower house on Wednesday voted 130 to 15 in favor of legislation lowering the congressional majority needed for those amendments to four-sevenths, following senate approval of the bill in July. Until now, such changes needed support from either three-fifths or two-thirds of lawmakers.

“This is a historical reform and we’ve been fighting for it for the past forty years”, Socialist Party Deputy Leonardo Soto said during the debate. “In the unlikely, but possible case that the rejection option wins in the referendum, this bill paves the way for a new process to write a constitution.”

Chile is set for a historic referendum on a magna carta that was written in the aftermath of the nation’s worst social unrest in a generation. Lawmakers are acting now as polls show high discontent over the document that’s up for a vote, though the vast majority of the population initially supported plans to draft a new charter. Meanwhile, President Gabriel Boric has said he will back another constitutional rewrite if the proposal is shot down next month.

The bill will make it easier to reach agreements after the referendum, said Axel Callis, a sociologist and director of pollster Tuinfluyes.com. “Most Chileans favor an alternative to purely approving or rejecting the draft constitution, and the fact that this bill got an overwhelming majority in congress indicates that sectors that are not in the extremes are prevailing,” he said.

Read more: Campaign to Reject Chile Charter Far Outspending Approval Push

If approved on Sept. 4, the new constitution would replace the senate with a weaker legislative body and allow the president to serve consecutive terms. It would also toughen environmental restrictions on industries such as mining, give regions outside the capital more decision-making powers, strengthen the representation of indigenous groups and establish new social rights.

The current constitution was enacted during the 1973-1990 Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. Supporters credit its pro-business laws for helping to drive years of economic growth, while detractors say it foments inequality and gives the private sector too dominant a role in providing basic services.

Roughly 47% of voters will reject the new charter, while 37% will approve it and 16% remain undecided, according to the latest weekly poll from Cadem.

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