Chileans go to the polls on Sunday in a referendum that could lead to the country adopting a constitution enshrining gender equality, action on climate change and Indigenous rights, says reporter John Bartlett in Santiago
When Chile’s current constitution was written, the country was ruled by a brutal military dictatorship. Its leaders pursued some of the world’s most extreme rightwing economic policies, making it one of the richest countries in South America but also among its most unequal.
The constitution, which enshrines free market fundamentalism, was overwhelmingly rejected by Chileans two years ago, kickstarting a process to replace it with a new one fit for the 21st century.
