SANTIAGO, Sept 4 (Reuters) – The polls closed in Chile, where voters turned out in droves on Sunday to approve or reject a progressive new constitution to replace the current market-friendly text dating from the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship. Chile’s election agency expects to have results within hours. read more Polling stations across the country reported long lines and high turnout as Chileans took part in mandatory voting, which experts say adds uncertainty to polls that have consistently shown voters are more likely to reject the new text. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Diego Uribe, 35, a father of two who doesn’t usually vote because he has lost faith in political parties, voted to approve the new constitution in Puente Alto, a lower-income district in southern Santiago. “This one is different,” Uribe said, adding that he would have voted even if it wasn’t mandatory. “Approval is real change for the future, free education, decent healthcare and more rights.” The new text is the result of an agreement reached to quell violent protests against inequality in 2019 and focuses on social rights, the environment, gender equality and indigenous rights. read more While nearly 80% of Chileans voted in favor of drafting a new constitution in late 2020, polls show public support for the new text has waned amid fear over some proposals and controversy surrounding the voters elected to draft it . read more More than 15 million Chileans and residents were eligible to vote in more than 3,000 polling stations, including the national stadium in Santiago, where Rosemarie Williamson, 54, voted to reject the new constitution alongside her 85-year-old mother. Closing tables during a referendum on a new Chilean constitution in Santiago, Chile, September 4, 2022. REUTERS/RODRIGO GARRIDO read more Williamson voted to draft a new constitution in 2020, but rejected the proposed constitution on Sunday, citing concerns about many of the proposals. “The main one is (domestic) multinationals and then pension funds,” Williamson said. “I’ve worked all my life and I’m not willing to share it.” President Gabriel Boric voted in the southern city of Punta Arenas early Sunday and vowed to maintain unity regardless of the outcome. “In the difficult times we’ve lived as a country we’ve taken the path to resolve our differences and move forward with more democracy,” Boric told reporters after the vote. He added that regardless of the outcome, the government will work with all sectors to “advance justice, equity, growth and development for all”. Some polls outside the country, including New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea and China, have already closed and show a favorable lead for the new text. The votes of Chileans living outside the country have historically been more progressive than the rest of the electorate. The number of voters planning to vote “no” on the new text surpassed “yes” for the first time in April and maintained a different lead. The latest polls before the two-week blackout showed No ahead with 47% to 38% for Yes and 17% undecided. The ruling coalition had already agreed to amend the text if approved, and 57 transitional rules will help transition from one constitution to the other. If the text is rejected, Boric said the process would have to start over to fulfill the mandate given by the 2020 vote to draft a new constitution. Other political figures have said the current constitution should be amended given recent legislative changes to smaller majorities needed to do so. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Reporting by Alexander Villegas, Natlia Ramos and Fabian Cambero. Editing: Lisa Shumaker, Deepa Babington, Andrea Ricci and Richard Chang Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
