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Chilean govt urges mass participation in Oct 25 referendum vote
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IANS | 17 Oct, 2020
The Chilean government has urged
mass participation in the October 25 referendum vote on re-drafting the
Constitution, adding that it will be conducted in a safe manner amid
the Covid-19 pandemic.
The plebiscite is a way "to solve our
differences through democracy and voting", Xinhua news agency quoted
government spokesman Jaime Bellolio as saying in a statement on Friday.
Bellolio emphasized that this is a "very important process and we want there to be the greatest participation and security".
He
said the government hopes "that during the weekend, days before the
plebiscite, the prevailing climate will not be one of violence, but one
of peace, unity and understanding".
In the referendum, voters
will be asked to decide whether Chile needs a new constitution and, if
the answer is "yes", should the document be drafted by Congress or by a
constituent assembly elected solely for that purpose.
Holding the
plebiscite was the centrepiece of the political class' effort to defuse
the unrest that began in October 2019 with protests against an increase
in subway fares in Santiago and quickly grew into a national uprising
over the extreme economic inequality prevailing in Chile.
More
than 30 people have died in the course of protests, many at the hands of
the police, who have been denounced by domestic and international
organizations for torturing, sexually assaulting and maiming
demonstrators.
Opinion polls have indicated indicate that
Chileans will vote overwhelmingly in favour of getting rid of the
current constitution, which was enacted in 1980 during the reign of
dictator Augusto Pinochet.
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