The latest Democracy Tracker updates from International IDEA look at developments with the constitutional assembly in #Chile:
On 7 May, Chileans voted to elect the members of the body entrusted with drafting a new constitution to replace the current one that dates to the Pinochet dictatorship, after the proposal of a previous assembly, criticized as too progressive, was rejected in a September 2022 referendum.
The country’s right-wing parties will make up the majority of the new constitutional assembly, with the far-right Republican Party obtaining the most seats, 22 out of 51, in this body. The latter has conservative views and opposes abortion.
Analysts consider this result as a reflection of President Boric’s declining approval. Around 15.1 million Chileans participated in the election, in a process where vote was mandatory.
Read more about Chile on International IDEA’s #Democracy Tracker, which follows monthly developments in 173 countries
The problem with all indices is that simplify important distinctions to the point of some loss of perspective. For example, the cliches about Chile’s conservatives end up repeated and amplified to support the standard Manichaean narrative.