The think-tank Center for Public Studies (CEP) revealed in a recent survey that 53% of Chileans have not yet decided whether to vote for or against the proposal for a new Constitution in the upcoming plebiscite on December 17. The survey also indicated that 30% of citizens lean towards the ‘Against’ option, 8% towards the ‘For’ option, and 9% abstained from responding.
The majority of those who are still undecided identify with a center ideology, while 49% of those who reject the proposal declare themselves leftist, according to CEP. The survey was conducted on 1,478 people from 125 neighborhoods in the country between September 24 and November 2, with a sampling error of 2.8%.
More than 15 million Chileans will have the opportunity to vote on the proposal for a new Constitution, which was prepared by a body dominated by the extreme right and the traditional right. The right argues that the new document is an improvement on the current Magna Carta, in force since the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), while the official left calls the proposal “dogmatic” and “partisan.”
The new proposal includes controversial articles such as the consecration of the “right to life of the unborn,” the immediate expulsion of irregular migrants, and the tax exemption for the first home, which benefits people with higher incomes. This is the second constitutional process that Chile is experiencing after a previous attempt in September 2022 ended with a rejection by the electorate.
If the new proposal is rejected in December, the current Constitution will remain in force. The Government of President Gabriel Boric has already announced that it will not prompt a third attempt at drafting a new Constitution.