A forceful editorial on the draft constitutional reform in Chile was published this Thursday by Editorial Board From the newspaper The Washington Post in the framework of plebiscite that the town Chilean will be held next Sunday to define its new proposal for national institutionality. “Chile should return its draft Constitution to be rewritten”, is the title chosen by the editorial managers of one of the most influential newspapers in the world.
With the signature of Editorial Board of the newspaper, the editorialists highlight the importance of mining in the economy and development of the South American country and warn that the new constitution could change some rules of the game that could alter the current conditions that led the country to be a mecca of democracy and the market economy in the region. “Chile is at the top of the largest lithium reserves in the world; produced about 25% of the world’s commercial supply in 2020. That’s reason enough to pay attention to the impending referendum on September 4 on a proposed new constitution: It could reform the legal framework for mining in the South American nation, which has a free trade agreement with the United States for 18 years”, states the editorial.
“An elected constituent assembly delivered its final draft on July 4, 2021. The document would purge the political order of its vestiges of right-wing military rule and replace it with progressive ideals: broad women’s and indigenous rights alongside environmentalism. In a pragmatic compromise, the assembly refused to nationalize mineral resources, as some on the left had demanded, deciding instead to ban mining in environmentally sensitive areas and subject the industry to greater regulation.”, indicates the column.
The newspaper text continues: “Opponents of the new constitution object that its designation of Chile as ‘plurinational’, aimed at empowering an eighth of the indigenous population, would undermine national cohesion. Others worry that uncertainty will hamper investment as the new congress tries to translate new constitutional provisions on mining and other natural resources into law. There is also the complexity of a document consisting of 54,000 words, 388 articles and 178 pages – including a provision on the State’s duty to ‘promote the culinary and gastronomic heritage of the country’”.
“In addition to these and other specific concerns, the opposition reflects the public disapproval of the 36-year-old leftist president, Gabriel Boric, a supporter of the proposal, whose election in December was part of the same political wave that led to the constituent assembly. During Mr. Boric’s term, which began on March 11, Chile’s inflation and homicide rates have continued to rise and his approval rating has plummeted, ”indicates The Washington Post and concludes:“Chileans seem unhappy with the binary choice they face on September 4. A recent poll revealed that more than 80 percent believe that the new constitution should be changed immediately if it is ratified, and that the existing constitution should be changed if it is not. The ‘approval’ and ‘rejection’ campaigns have each revealed the reforms they would seek if prevailed. This suggests both that the approval of the Constitution is in doubt and – encouragingly – that Chile’s political center is reasserting itself.”.
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