Page 10 - MONTT LATIN AMERICAN MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2021 (English)

The Different Scenarios of Post-pandemic Chile
Two months before the presidential and congressional elections, the country has to deal with an exhausting multiplicity of realities that overwhelm not only the electorate, but also the protagonists of change. The main battle
is not fought on the electoral field, but rather on that of the Constituent Convention, which from one moment to the next can make any government program obsolete.
Few were satisfied with the first television debate before the television cameras with which the campaign to elect a new President of Chile for the period 2022-2026 was inaugurated, which will culminate days before the election to be held on November 21, 2021 or in in the event of a second electoral round, on December 19, 2021.
For many, the debate lacked depth and above all spontaneity; frank, honest and more passionate proposals were expected, which is what really captures voters. Beyond the ideological differences, several people considered José Antonio Kast, the representative of the ultra-conservative right, as an extraordinary candidate first, because he was clear in raising his points of view; second, since it makes the most extreme right-wing voter not feel guilty for being so; third, he confronts his adversary with impressive composure. As for Gabriel Boric, the candidate of the extreme left, Frente Amplio, many agreed that he came out “unharmed.”
The underlying problem, however, seems to be another and is that the most important party would be playing on another much more
decisive field: in the Constituent Convention, the body chosen to draft the New Constitution, to which none of the candidates lends due attention, despite the fact that the context in which the country is moving today is one of a true re-foundation.
For some, the only way for candidates to have prominence and profile is to fully enter the constitutional debate in their campaigns, something that notably transcends their government programs, many of which could be limited or prevented from being carried out. according to the decisions that the body ends up adopting. Recently, a vote was held on the general regulation that will allow granting a normative and operational framework to the Constitutional Convention where 1,128 indications will be discussed. However, only 130 deliberations were reached when a case of covid-19 was confirmed that prevented it from continuing. According to official sources, the session will resume soon although the regulation is expected to take several days to be dispatched.
The Two Thirds Theme
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