I falliti “momenti costituenti” in Cile: 1973-2023 (un omaggio a Salvador Allende nel cinquantesimo dal golpe di Stato)

The failed “constituent moments” in Chile: 1973-2023 (an homage to Salvador Allende in the fiftieth from the golpe)

Abstract

In the plebiscite of 17 December 2023, Chileans rejected for the second time in four years, a draft of a new Constitution. The proposal was the result of a constituent process started at the end of 2019 with the estallido social. The article analyzes several "constituent moments" in Chilean history. The first of these refers to the presidency of Salvador Allende, the day of the coup d'état, in the fiftieth anniversary of this event, which marked the fate of Chile and probably changed the course of world history. The author analyzes the content of that constitutional project, never discussed in Parliament, which was followed, instead, by the adoption of the 1980 Constitution. Then, the author describes the constituent process wanted by President Bachelet, and, finally, analyzes the experience of 2022, concluding with some critical remarks about the whole experience.