Several party leaders and government representatives met over the last couple days to discuss a path toward a new Constitution. While some said an agreement had been reached, others denied any progress. Right-wing parties threatened to abandon the process altogether.
Chilean political leaders held a series of meetings to create a roadmap toward a new Constitution. The original proposal created over the last year by a Constitutional Convention was widely rejected in a Sept. 4 plebiscite.
Members of right-wing Chile Vamos coalition did not immediately agree to attend a meeting on Sept. 13 but eventually did so. Afterwards, heads of the National Renewal, Independent Democratic Union, and Evópoli parties said they would not go to a meeting planned for Thursday, local media reported.
They also demanded the process be postponed to Sept. 23 and take place “without the presence of government [representatives] at this stage.”
A previous meeting, the second overall, took place Sept. 12 in Santiago. The heads of both chambers, party leaders, and government chief-of-staff Ana Lya Uriarte took part. Left-wing participants claimed the meeting yielded agreements on a new, popularly elected Constitutional Convention, an expert committee, parity, among others.
The right-wing participants, however, denied any agreements had been reached and warned premature announcements will put the negotiations at risk.
Carmen Critelli is an intern at Chile Today. She has recently completed her bachelor’s degree in European Studies from Maastricht University in the Netherlands. During her studies and journalistic experience, she specialised in migration/immigration issues, poverty and sustainability.