Chile's constitutional proposal 2.0 finalized
Nov. 8, 2023
Chile’s constitutional council officially handed President Gabriel Boric a draft constitution that will be put to plebiscite on Dec. 17. “Chileans must decide if this is a proposal that unifies us,” said Boric. (El País)
Polls show most voters plan to reject the proposed text, though the gap has narrowed in recent weeks, reports Reuters. If the new charter is rejected, the Pinochet-era constitution will remain in effect. (See Oct. 27’s Chile Update)
Boric's government, which backed the first proposal, said it will not push for a third constitutional rewrite if voters reject this draft. The government has promised to remain neutral in the debate over the new proposed text although several of the administration's allies have already said they oppose the new document, reports the Associated Press.
The ruling Frente Amplio, Democracia Cristiana, the Partido Radical, the Socialist party and former president Ricardo Lagos, have all called for rejecting the draft. (BioBio, El País, El País, El País)
The draft was headed by the far-right Republican Party, which had, in fact, opposed reforming the country’s dictatorship-era magna carta, reports the Guardian. The new proposal is on the opposite end of the political spectrum to the draft rejected by voters a year ago, which was heralded as the world’s most progressive constitutional proposal.
The Council worked off of an expert-drafted suggested text, but made significant changes, reports El País. While they preserved the novel consecration of a social and democratic state of law, left wing councillors say the other articles effectively made this definition “empty,” because they limited social rights such as health, education and pensions.
“One of the most controversial articles in the proposed new document says that “the law protects the life of the unborn,” with a slight change in wording from the current document that some have warned could make abortion fully illegal” in Chile, reports the Associated Press. Abortions are currently legal in the case of rape, fetal inviability and risk to the mother’s life.
On migration, the final text also proposes the expulsion “in the shortest possible time frame” of migrants who enter through unauthorized avenues, “with full respect for human dignity, fundamental rights and guarantees and the international obligations [of] the state of Chile.” (El País)
Venezuela
The Narco Leaks records add “to the mounting evidence that Venezuela’s military and government elite, not content with plundering the nation’s oil wealth, are now increasingly focused on milking a different profit center: Cocaine,” according to the Miami Herald. “The role of the military in relation to the drug trade has shifted from looking the other way in exchange for taking bribes to one of active player.”
Migration
Costa Rica and Panama have adopted busing programs to contend with a historic tide of migration passing through their borders — they shuttle people from the southern to northern borders, alleviating encampments and providing a safer alternative to human smuggling operations. But the U.S. is concerned that this is a fast-lane north for migrants that it hopes to deter from reaching its southern border, reports the New York Times.
Argentina
Disobedient Stories – a collective of offspring of military officials convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide during Argentina’s dictatorship — urged voters not to support libertarian presidential candidate Javier Milei in the upcoming runoff election. The group, which formed in rejection to their parents’ crimes, warn that Milei’s denialism of dictatorship human rights violations is a danger to Argentina’s democracy, reports the Guardian.
Regional Relations
The Dominican Republic said “it will beef up security at its northern border with Haiti, following an incident it labeled a "provocation" in which it said a group of Haitians entered Dominican territory and interfered with the army patrol,” reports Reuters.
Regional
A former CIA officer accused of drugging and sexually assaulting at least two dozen women during various overseas postings, including in Mexico and Peru, pleaded guilty in Washington to federal sex abuse charges that could land him behind bars for up to 30 years, reports the Associated Press.
Peru
Peru’s political chaos and economic downturn is pushing more young people to move abroad, threatening the country’s future, argues Andrea Moncada in Americas Quarterly.
Brazil
The recent suicide of a lesbian influencer and supporter of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro has put the spotlight on conversion therapy in Brazil, though the supposed “gay cures” have been prohibited since 1999, reports El País.
Rest of World writes about clickwork in Brazil — jobs consisting of hundreds of quick, repetitive tasks.
Critter Corner
“The Ecuadorian sword-billed hummingbird looks like a medieval lancer preparing for a joust,” reports the Guardian. While the amazing beak is an advantage for nectar foraging, it is too long for preening, forcing the bird to instead use its feet.