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Chile Election for New President of Constitutional Assembly
January 4, 2022
The President of the Assembly is a role that rotates every six months. The Assembly is in charge of writing the new Constitution, which will come into effect in July next year. In May 2021, the Chilean electorate voted for dozens of progressive, independent delegates to work together to write the new Constitution. It is a left leaning Assembly, meaning that the Conservatives did not obtain a third of the seats and as such, will be unable to veto any proposals.
The current head, elected on 4th July 2021, is Elisa Loncon: a 58 year old Mapuche indigenous activist and university professor. She was chosen by 96 out of 155 delegates, including 17 indigenous Chileans who are part off the constitutional body. Since then, she has amassed some criticism for her radical activist views, for not acting in a states-womanly manner and for failing to seek more of a consensus. It has further entrenched political polarisation. Her replacement will need to be more moderate and navigate between the very different political factions in Chile today.
Sources and further reading:
Mapuche woman picked to lead architects of Chile’s new constitution
An Indigenous Rights Leader Is Trying to Rewrite Chile’s Constitution to Put its Ecosystems First
https://time.com/6109428/elisa-loncon-interview-cop26/
