Common sense prevails as Chileans reject a new constitution

FOR THE past three years it seemed that the people of Chile, one of Latin America’s most successful economies, were lurching to the left. In October 2019 huge protests against inequality shook the image of the country as a haven of stability. A year later Chileans voted in a referendum to have an elected convention rewrite the constitution, which was first adopted under a military dictatorship in 1980 but has since been amended almost 60 times. Then last December they plumped for Gabriel Boric, a bearded and tattooed 36-year-old leftist, to be president in a ruling coalition with the Communist Party.

Now they appear to have had enough. In a referendum on September 4th, 62% of voters rejected the constitution drawn up by the convention. Turnout was high, at 86%. Not one of Chile’s 16 regions approved it. Polls had for months shown that the charter would be spurned. But none predicted a 24-point margin. The sheer size of the defeat is a blow to Mr Boric, who supported the constitution-drafting process.