Debating a New Constitution for Chile: reflecting the demands of the people?
When:
—
Venue:
Birkbeck Main Building, Malet Street
No booking required
Debating a New Constitution for Chile: reflecting the demands of the people?
Professor Gabriel Salazar, University of Chile.
Chile still operates under the rule of the authoritarian constitution imposed by Pinochet in 1980 after a controlled plebiscite in 1980. The document provided for military domination of the government both before and after the 1988 plebiscite. The 1990 Coalition Government that followed the Pinochet regime failed to change this illegitimate Constitution and arguably acted to support elite interests, In response to constant, mounting pressure from the wider population, President Bachelet announced a timetable for the elaboration of a new Constitution for Chile.
Through a national broadcast, Bachelet declared that "this new Constitution must not only be new in content, but must also be new in the way that is discussed and elaborated. People (compatriots) must have the opportunity to say what they think and that their views are taken into account".
Professor Gabriel Salazar, prize-winning Historian at the University of Chile, argues 'If a constituent process takes place as guided by the previous law, i.e. according to the illegitimate Constitution of 1980, then it means that the military or the politicians are those who will direct the process. The real problem, I think, is that citizens must, at this juncture, be prepared to exercise sovereignty, and I believe that we are halfway there." The lack of definition of how the constitutional process announced by President Michelle Bachelet will be taken forward, poses an unanswered challenge and a risk.
Salazar contends that it is essential that the new Constitution avoids the mistakes of the past, responding only to elite interests and instead reflects the needs of the wider population across the country.
Professor Gabriel Salazar, University of Chile, was awarded the Chilean National History Prize in 2006. He came to the UK as a refugee following his release from prison in 1976 and completed a PhD at Hull University in Economics and Social History, subsequently returning to Chile in 1984.
PLEASE NOTE: The event will be mainly in Spanish. Attendance is free, but requires registration via Eventbrite.
Contact name:
Jasmine Gideon