This past Sunday, July 4th, the constituents of Chile’s new Constitutional Convention elected Elisa Loncón to lead the Convention process. Ms. Loncón is a linguistics professor at the University of Chile and a Mapuche community leader. The Mapuche are Chile’s largest population of Indigenous people, who are included in the Constitutional process for the first time in Chile. The Convention is tasked with drawing up a new Constitution, which will replace the current one that is still a vestige of the Pinochet fascist military dictatorship. Pinochet seized power via a violent coup in 1973, overthrowing the democratically elected government of socialist President Salvador Allende. The constitutional process was made possible by massive street protests in Santiago and other cities, supported by a general strike, for many months.
The current constitution, in spite of having been modified twice since Pinochet’s despotic reign, still forbids or limits the participation of the State in providing social services such as health, education and social security. The protesters demanded, in part, an end to the private provision of transport and education.
But the multicultural character of the Convention also stands out, as it will be the first time that Chile will see the participation of Indigenous peoples in such a process.
Ms. Loncón said on Monday, July 5th, “This convention that I will be presiding over today will transform Chile into a multinational Chile, a multicultural Chile, a Chile that does not threaten women’s rights, the rights of caregivers, a Chile who cares for Mother Earth and a Chile who also keeps our waters free from harm.”