On Tuesday (15 December), the House of Representatives and the Senate in Chile approved a bill that ensures Indigenous groups will participate in the upcoming Constitutional Assembly. Of 155 seats on the assembly — which in April will begin the process of rewriting the constitution for ratification by referendum — 17 will be reserved for Indigenous peoples.
Nationwide social uprisings in October 2019 have transformed the political landscape in Chile, offering glimmers of hope for those who have long been pushing for much-need constitutional change. The protests denounced growing inequality, environmental degradation, gender-based violence, and elite impunity. These popular movements forced the government’s hand and, on 15 November 2019, the “Agreement for Social Peace and the New Constitution” was signed by representatives from a total of ten government and opposition parties.
Chile’s current constitution was written in 1980 under the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.
