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May 17, 2021

Chilean Voters Select Delegates to Draft New Constitution
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In Chile, voters have elected 155 delegates charged with drafting a new
constitution to replace the current document, which was created under
the U.S.-backed dictator Augusto Pinochet. By law, half of the delegates
must be women. Independent candidates received the highest number of
votes, dealing a blow to the center-right ruling coalition and
increasing the chances the new constitution will contain major reforms.
This comes a year and a half after mass protests rocked Chile, with
demands for expanded access to education, Indigenous sovereignty, a
reversal to growing social and economic inequalities, and an end to
police brutality.


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