Only a month after the start of the general voting process to incorporate proposals into the final text, it seemed like Chile’s Constitutional Assembly was close to falling apart.
Out of 96 articles introduced by the crucial Political System committee, 93 were roundly rejected by the body, as left and center-left groups could not find agreement on the Executive branch’s powers and on the extremely thorny question of the possible elimination of the Senate.
The whole discussion was sent back to the committee for a final re-draft – the final chance to reach an agreement according to the norms regulating the convention.
Fortunately for the new Gabriel Boric administration, a deal seems to have now been struck, with the Communist Party, Mr. Boric’s Broad Front, Chile’s Socialist Party, and multiple independent tendencies all agreeing on a new draft.
The new system is set to be bicameral but “asymmetric,” with the Senate eliminated and replaced with a less powerful chamber made up of regional representatives. Meanwhile, Chile’s presidential system will be “attenuated” instead of fully eliminated, in line with opinion polls that have consistently rejected the transition to full parliamentarian that a few groups had insisted on.
“Every group conceded something, there were more important things in play. We have always said that the priority was to have a new Constitution, which meant that we didn’t see any...
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