The pendulum of Chilean politics has swung a long way in a short time
Then came the swing. In 2022, 62% of Chileans rejected the charter the convention had drafted. Mr Boric’s approval ratings tumbled. And on May 7th conservative parties won the biggest share of seats in a new convention tasked with producing another draft constitution.
Last year’s draft was widely seen as too left-wing: liberalising abortion, watering down property rights and giving trade unions an almost unfettered right to strike. Yet a majority of Chileans continued to demand a new constitution, so Congress was persuaded to call for the new convention. To prevent excesses, legislators devised a set of rules that cannot be modified, such as respect for private property and a bicameral Congress.
The Republican Party was the biggest winner, with 23 of the 51 seats in the assembly. The party was founded in 2019 by José Antonio Kast, a conservative Catholic who was defeated for the presidency by Mr Boric in 2021. Other conservatives won another 11 seats. A coalition aligned with Mr Boric took just 16.
Mr Kast has spoken admiringly of Pinochet. His views have become popular amid concerns about crime and migration. The greatest danger for his party, however, may not be that it does too much in the convention, but too little. It has repeatedly said it does not believe Chile needs a new constitution. It launched candidates for Sunday’s vote only when it sensed the pendulum swinging its way.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline"In the swing"
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