[Editor’s Note: I-CONnect is pleased to feature a five-part symposium on the recent Chilean referendum authorizing a new constitution-making process. The symposium was organized by Professors José Francisco García and Sergio Verdugo, who have written today’s introduction to the symposium.] —José Francisco García, P. Universidad Católica de Chile and Sergio Verdugo, Universidad del Desarrollo* Last Sunday,
The Constitutional Reform Referendum in Chile: Balancing Democracy and Elite Accommodation
—Alexander Hudson, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Religious and Ethnic Diversity, and Rodolfo Disi Pavlic, Temuco Catholic University [Editor’s note: This is one of our biweekly I-CONnect columns. For more information about our four columnists for 2020, please click here.] Next month, citizens of Chile will go to the polls to decide whether
New Constitution or Nothing! The Promise and Pitfalls of Chile’s Constitutional Moment
—Lisa Hilbink, Department of Political Science, University of Minnesota[1] In the wee hours of Friday, November 15th, Chile reached a historic milestone: Congressional representatives from nearly all political parties, across the political spectrum, signed an agreement to open the path to a new constitution. After four dramatic weeks of mass protests, and following two long
On the Protests and Riots in Chile: Why Chile Should Modify its Presidential System
—Sergio Verdugo, Centro de Justicia Constitucional, Universidad de Desarrollo (Chile)[1] There are many ways to approach the demands behind the protests in Chile, and I do not aim to replace or disprove those perspectives. Instead, this essay shows that part of the problem relates to the existence of an unresponsive government and that the explanation
The Rise and Fall of a Constitutional Moment: Lessons from the Chilean Experiment and the Failure of Bachelet’s Project
—Sergio Verdugo, Professor of Constitutional Law, Universidad del Desarrollo / JSD candidate, New York University; and Jorge Contesse, Assistant Professor of Law, Rutgers Law School Five days before stepping down as president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet sent a bill to the Chilean Congress proposing a new constitutional text aimed at replacing the current Constitution. The adoption of a
