Chileans Begin Work On Roadmap To New Constitution

Santiago, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Oct, 2020 ) :Chile pressed ahead with the task of creating a roadmap to a new constitution Tuesday as Congress debated rules for choosing the body tasked with drafting the new charter.

Citizens of the South American country voted by a landslide in a referendum Sunday to throw out their dictatorship-era constitution, blamed for the jarring economic and social inequalities that led to months of violent protests.

Much of the path ahead is already clear, with the election of a constitutional convention, which will draft the new charter, slated for April 11.

However, independent candidates face an uphill battle in the race for seats on the convention, as they aim to limit the influence of the traditional parties.

Congress on Tuesday discussed removing one of the roadblocks to political independents playing a full part in the process.

Under current rules they need a minimum of signatures equal to 0.4 percent of voters in their electoral district, a tough task amid Chile's coronavirus epidemic.

Prospective independent candidates say the threshold is too high and want it halved.