Boric describes the triumph of the "rejection" as "forceful" and proposes "a new constituent itinerary"

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BBC News World

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image source, Gabriel Boric

The president of Chile, Gabriel Boric, promised this Sunday to give continuity to the constituent process after the “resounding” victory of the “rejection” in the plebiscite for a new Constitution in Chile.

The president called for understanding between the political and social forces to shed light on a text that achieves more support than the one that Chileans have just rejected at the polls.

“I promise to do everything on my part to build, together with Congress and civil society, a new constituent itinerary,” said Boric.

The president called on all citizens “to tackle the construction of the future together and united.”

Boric, who has suffered a serious setback with the result of the plebiscite, announced that he summoned the presidents of Congress and representatives of civil society this Monday at the Palacio de la Moneda to start the new path.

The president interpreted the clear verdict of the polls: “The people of Chile have spoken and they have done so clearly,” he said.

At what may be the most difficult moment of his six-month term, Boric tried to send a positive message and appealed to the unity of the Chileans. “The country has given us a forceful message so that, now, we agree,” she placed. And he remembered: “When we act in unity is when we bring out the best in ourselves.”

“The Chilean people were not satisfied with the proposals and have decided to clearly reject them. This decision requires the institutions to work with more commitment and dialogue until arriving at a proposal that gives confidence and unites us as a country,” said Boric, elected as president in December 2021.

“Let’s not forget why we got here: the malaise is still latent and we cannot forget it,” added Boric, who promised to lead “a new itinerary” to reach a text “that manages to interpret a broad majority of citizens.”

Boric was one of the great defenders of the constituent process as a solution to the crisis in the country arising from the social outbreak of 2019 and was openly in favor of approving the text drafted by 155 constituents elected in 2021.

“I call on all political forces to put Chile first and to agree as soon as possible on a term for a new constitutional process. The National Congress must be the main protagonist,” he added, announcing changes in his government.