Chile’s Proposed Left-Wing Constitution Could Spell Chaos

2 years ago
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The 54,000-word draft document is a feeding frenzy of political interests looking to codify special rights and privileges.

https://reason.com/video/2022/08/26/chiles-proposed-left-wing-constitution-could-spell-chaos/-------
In the fall of 2019, a subway fare hike in Santiago, Chile, set off some of the most violent protests in Latin America's recent history. In what the media dubbed a "social outburst," rioters destroyed churches, metro stations, and toll booths. 

The protests culminated in the election of the 36-year-old leftist President Gabriel Boric, who has pledged to nationalize Chile's private pension system, raise taxes, and create a more green economy.

Even before that, protesters went after the Chilean Constitution itself. In a nationwide referendum held in October 2020, 78 percent of voters opted to replace it. 

On September 4, they'll return to the polls to approve or reject a new draft constitution, which, if passed, could bring a tragic and decisive end to Chile's so-called economic miracle that turned the country into a model for how free market policies can benefit the poor.

Produced by Daniel Raisbeck and Alyssa Varas: Edited by Danielle Thompson
Photo Credits: DARDE/SIPA/Newscom; World History Archive/Newscom; Album / Oronoz/Newscom; Elyxandro Cegarra/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Matias Basualdo/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Felipe Figueroa / SOPA Images/Si/Newscom; Lucas Aguayo Araos/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Claudio Abarca Sandoval/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Alberto Valdes/EFE/Newscom; Jose Miguel Rojas/SIPA/SIPA/Newscom; Jose Miguel Rojas/SIPA/SIPA/Newscom; DPST/Newscom; Alberto Valdes/EFE/Newscom; Peter Langer / DanitaDelimont.com / "Danita Delimont Photography"/Newscom; A3116 Tim Brakemeier / Deutsch Presse Agentur/Newscom; Ben185/Newscom; Lucas Aguayo Araos / SOPA Images/Newscom; Alberto Valdes/EFE/Newscom; Jon G. Fuller / VWPics/Newscom; Matias Basualdo/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Trevor Collens / Photoshot Trevor Collens/Photoshot/Newscom; HUMBERTO MATHEUS/EFE/Newscom; HUMBERTO MATHEUS/EFE/Newscom; Jorge Villegas / Xinhua News Agency/Newscom; Matias Basualdo/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Yadid Levy/robertharding/Newscom; akg-images/Newscom; Pablo Rojas Madariaga/ZUMA Press/Newscom; Matias Basualdo/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Felipe Figueroa/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; Felipe Figueroa / SOPA Images/Si/Newscom; Vanessa Rubilar/ZUMAPRESS/Newscom; B1mbo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile, CC BY-SA 3.0 CL, via Wikimedia Commons; Usuario Patricio Mecklenburg Díaz (Metronick), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons; .:GIO::IAB:., CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Music Credits: "Intrepid" by Brianna Tam via Artlist; "Odd Numbers" by Curtis Cole via Artlist; "Ripples" by Tamuz Dekel via Artlist; "Circularity" Brianna Tam via Artlist

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