A concentration of supporters of rejecting the constitutional proposal during the electoral campaign. Alberto Valdés (EFE) With the results of the plebiscite on the table, Chile begins this Sunday to try to understand the reasons of the electorate to reject by a large majority the proposal for a new Constitution, in which the Constitutional Convention worked for a year. It is a milestone in a process that began in October 2019, with social protests marked by days of violence in the streets. The political class offered the constituent path to channel the unrest and in October 2020 the entry plebiscite was held, where 78% voted in favor of replacing the current Constitution, which dates from 1980, in the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet and a percentage Similarly, he supported its drafting by a convention of 155 members chosen specifically for this purpose. In May 2021, the citizens chose the members of the constituent, whose formation reflected a strong influence from the left and independent groups. The joint body began work in July of that year and, after 12 months of work and a significant loss of citizen support, handed over its work in July of this year. After a two-month campaign, Chile has chosen to reject this proposal, although the constituent process will continue. – rejection – approval – blank – null A plebiscite to the Government of BoricThe DNA of the Executive of Gabriel Boric has marked the Constituent Convention, the text of the constituent and, in recent months, by the option of “approval” [a favor]. The president made the decision to play a leading role, as the main asset of the ruling leftist coalition. It is the reason why, politically, the fate of the new Constitution has been linked to the Government and vice versa, as the polls showed. In short, this plebiscite has been experienced as a referendum on the current administration, which has been in power for six months. Crime and the economic situation Chile is facing a major crisis of public insecurity and, although it is a problem that has grown over the years, it directly affects the citizenry, which punishes the government in power. Furthermore, the Boric Administration has not always shown an unequivocal position regarding public order, especially with the violence in La Araucanía and surrounding regions, which worsens with each passing day. This situation becomes more complex in the north of the country, with the migratory crisis that especially affects the daily life of the humble people of that area. The perception of insecurity joins the increase in the cost of living with an inflation rate of 13.1% year-on-year, as has not been seen for three decades. In a referendum that has been experienced as a plebiscite for the rulers, both factors have influenced the rejection of the Constitution. The work of the convention One of the questions that analysts will have to answer is why the text drafted by the most democratic body of the history of Chile —parity, with seats reserved for native peoples, with independents— has not been supported by the citizenry. The convention began its work in July 2021 with high levels of support, but lost it within weeks. Exactly a year ago, an investigation by the newspaper La Tercera revealed that one of the vice presidents, Rodrigo Rojas Vade, had invented a false cancer. Citizenship that felt betrayed. Over the months, they also observed a colorful and even rude behavior of some members of the convention. The hope of the campaign in favor was that citizens would separate the process from the final proposal. A very transformative proposal The critics cataloged the text of the new refoundational Constitution. It declared Chile as a State with representative democracy, reinforced with direct participation modalities, emphasizing social rights, the protection of nature, the decentralization of the country and parity. The recognition of the indigenous peoples generated concern in the inhabitants of La Araucanía and the surrounding regions —where the ancestral lands and a large Mapuche population are located—, which do not have plurinationality among their main demands. Critics also considered that the new configuration of the judicial apparatus opened the door to political interference in this power of the State, and the absence of any regulation on political parties and the electoral system was worrying. The role of the center-left and the right The organized opposition of center-left sectors prevented the option of rejection from being confined only to the right. The victory of the rejection was also helped by the fact that the leaders of the right showed their willingness to continue with the constitutional process, although yesterday the no won. This scenario made it easier for a part of the citizenry to vote against, seeing that the political forces committed to continue working for a new Constitution.