On Sunday, 62 percent of Chileans voted against a progressive new constitution that would replace the current document drafted under the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in a historic referendum. The result was a devastating blow to Boric, 36, and his young generation of leftist leaders. As the fallout begins, Chile is gripped by uncertainty and political strife as the country’s future comes under the microscope. “This is one of the most difficult times I’ve had to deal with politically,” the president said Tuesday as he unveiled changes to his senior team. Six new ministers were appointed, including the general secretary of the presidency and ministers of energy, health, science and social development. The changes maintain a female majority in Boric’s cabinet but tip the balance towards the more moderate democratic socialist bloc – and away from the new generation of politicians and former student leaders who made Boric Chile’s youngest president in December’s election. . Carolina Tohá, a respected former mayor of Santiago, replaced Interior Minister Izkia Siches, who became the first woman to hold the position when Boric took office in March. Tohá is a prominent figure in the center-left Party for Democracy, one of the groups that formed the broad centrist coalition to guide Chile through its delicate transition to democracy in the 1990s and 2000s. “After the referendum result, it is clear that these young politicians need the help of the older generation to improve their relationship with the opposition,” said Miguel Ángel López, an academic at the University of Chile’s school of government. “Boric still has a chance to implement changes, but they won’t be framed in the radical way his agenda first outlined.” The 1980 constitution remains in place while leaders seek consensus on the path forward. Coordinators of the successful “reject” campaign called for a new constitutional process, but that would require a four-sevenths majority in both houses of Chile’s Congress before a new assembly could be elected to draft a new proposal. Boric reiterated his commitment to continue efforts for constitutional reform and called the country’s political party leaders to a meeting in La Moneda on Tuesday. The proposed constitution, which now has no legal status, was drawn up after a year of hard negotiations by a gender equality convention and presented in July. He enshrined gender equality and reproductive rights, promised action on climate change and constitutionally recognized Chile’s indigenous peoples for the first time in the country’s history. But these values are not guaranteed to be transferred. “None of this evidence is guaranteed to be part of a new constitutional process,” said Tania Busch Venthur, a constitutional expert at Andrés Bello University in Santiago. “All we know for sure at the moment is that any changes will have to be made according to the rules set out in the 1980 constitution and will depend on the will of the politicians.” The campaign against the constitutional proposal was able to gather widespread support by casting doubt on the overthrow of the political and judicial system and criticizing some of the rights it promised Chileans. More than 13 million people went to the polls on Sunday as part of a model election process, fueling widespread discontent with the proposal drawn up by the assembly. However, in October 2020, 78% of Chileans voted in favor of a new constitution. Although that enthusiasm appears to have evaporated, many Chileans remain in favor of a new constitution – just not the proposal offered in Sunday’s referendum. Now it’s up to Boric to guide Chile into a new chapter in a turbulent time for the country and reach an agreement that can win the support of society at large.
