© Photographer: MARTIN BERNETTI/AFPChile Votes for Who Will Rewrite Constitution After Unrest
(Bloomberg) -- Chile's right-wing candidates likely secured fewer than a third of the seats on the Constitutional Assembly in this weekend's historic elections, making it more difficult to block major changes to the new charter.
Contenders from the government coalition's main list obtained 21.2% of votes with 64.3% of ballots tallied, electoral office Servel said on Sunday. The results put them on track for 37 of the body's 155 spots, according to calculations from consultancy firm Unholster.
Having fewer than 33% of seats would leave center-right members at disadvantage in the Assembly, as all articles have to be approved by a two-thirds majority. The vote count is on-going for the assembly, as well as governors, mayors and city council members.
With many independent candidates securing seats, the showing should increase uncertainty as one of Latin America's richest nations rewrites its laws following the worst social unrest in a generation. At stake are the very economic rules that have driven years of sustained growth while simultaneously fueling social discontent and inequalities. Recent political tensions and surging coronavirus cases are further heightening uncertainties.
"The clearest signals so far are that the right is weaker than expected and the center has disappeared," said Jennifer Pribble, Associate Professor of Political Science at University of Richmond. "President Sebastian Pinera seems to have really hurt his coalition."
Read more: What's at Stake as Chile Writes a New Constitution: QuickTake
While right-wing candidates unified under one main list, center and leftist contenders were spread out across many different groups. Many analysts expected those divisions to make it easier for government-aligned candidates to obtain one-third of seats despite Pinera's low popularity.
Video: Chile's Pinera votes for constituent assembly members (AFP)
Chile's Pinera votes for constituent assembly members
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In recent weeks, the billionaire president has faced criticism for being out of touch with Chileans grappling with the country's worst virus surge to date. He came under fire for belatedly getting behind plans for early pension withdrawals after first trying to block the popular proposal.
"There's no doubt that we are witnessing a wide-ranging defeat that has to make us reflect," Mario Desbordes, a former Pinera government minister and member of his party, said in televised remarks. "We have not been able to understand the majority of the citizens who want change."
Punishment
Last year, citizens overwhelmingly decided to scrap the current constitution implemented during the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. It was a key demand of protesters who took to the streets starting in October 2019 initially over a subway fare hike before broadening demands to include better public services.
"We need a constitution that helps all Chileans, not only the wealthy," said Felipe Mora, 22, who voted on Saturday in downtown Santiago. "Something more egalitarian."
Voters cast their ballots as Chile slowly beats back a record-breaking surge in the pandemic. The election was originally scheduled for April, though lawmakers voted to postpone it until May as daily virus infections and hospitalization reached all-time highs.
The election was also marked by a better-than-expected showing for some smaller, left-wing parties, as well as independent candidates, who are expected to secure dozens of seats in the Constitutional Assembly.
"This vote is a punishment for the current government and a warning sign for traditional political parties," said Claudio Fuentes, political scientist at Universidad Diego Portales.
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