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Where next for Chile’s embattled constitution?
GUILLERMO TEILLIER, president of the Communist Party of Chile, explains to Hugo Guzman why, despite compromises made with the opposition, the government's constitutional reform process is still a priority for the left

Do you agree that the political agreement signed by the ruling and opposition parties is imperfect?

I believe that for the almost five million voters, over 38 per cent on a turnout of nearly 98 per cent, who voted for the new constitution with enthusiasm and conviction, this agreement is insufficient, imperfect and far from our expectations.

The questions arising from the agreement are the excessive role of “experts,” the distortion of representativeness by electing councillors for the new commission by the system used to elect the senate and the lack of precision in defining citizen participation. So why did the Communist Party remain in this negotiation — and why did it sign it?

As things stand, we must be prepared to take part in the 50-member “group of experts” that will redraft the constitution, because the government parties and other progressives will be represented on it.

How do you respond to the criticisms from the social movements, the feminist movement, and political and academic sectors, that this is an anti-democratic mechanism of the elites?

The president of the lower house, Vlado Milosevic of the Liberal Party, and, above all, members of Democratic Socialism, the centre-left coalition that supports Gabriel Boric, and the right wing say that it won’t be necessary to make changes to the agreement during the discussion in congress. Do you agree with this or do you believe that there is an opportunity to perfect what is said to be imperfect?

What are the challenges and objectives for progressive and left-wing sectors in the face of all that is to come with this constitutional process?

Next year will be largely consumed by the new constitutional process, but there are also strong social demands on issues such as the rising cost of living, crime, tax and pension reforms. What should be prioritised? What role do you assign to the streets, the social movements and the government?

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