Boric says Chile should draft new constitution if current proposal fails

SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean President Gabriel Boric mentioned on Friday that if a proposed new structure is rejected in a referendum set for September, a brand new draft must be written up from scratch as a substitute of modifying the present textual content.
In an interview with an area tv channel, the leftist president mentioned that since Chile’s residents voted to draft a brand new structure in 2020, the method must be carried out once more if the present proposal.
“If the plan is rejected, what’s going to occur is that we must delay the method for an additional 12 months and a half, the place every part must be mentioned from the start,” mentioned Boric, who has averted talking of alternate options if voters reject the proposed textual content in September.
Boric has said that each choices – approving or rejecting the textual content – are reputable, however his authorities seeks to advertise broad social reforms that may be blocked by the present structure.
“The constitutional course of, if rejected, has to proceed by the phrases determined by the folks of Chile,” Boric mentioned. “Not (to proceed tweaking) the present structure.”
The present structure, closely pro-market, was enacted in the course of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
Congress is presently debating reducing the variety of votes wanted to switch the present structure in case the proposed textual content is rejected.
In October 2020, a 12 months after protests broke out throughout the nation, virtually 80% of Chileans voted to draft a brand new structure. Assist has fallen since however voters proceed to assist change and or one other various, polls present.
Initially of July, the constitutional meeting completed the proposed textual content that has 388 articles and focuses on social rights, gender, the political system and the setting.
(Reporting by Natalia Ramos; Writing by Kylie Madry; Enhancing by Sandra Maler)