The three former presidents of Chile In democracy, Sebastián Piñera, Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet exercised their right to vote in the elections for the 2023 Constitutional Plebiscite, which takes place this Sunday, December 17.
The first to vote was Piñera, who arrived at the polls around 9 in the morning. After casting her vote, she called on citizens to participate in the vote.
“I hope that 15 million Chileans can go to the polls. Express our opinion at the polls. All votes matter,” said the former president. “Because our country needs a Constitution that unites us, does not divide us, that includes the best of our history but that incorporates the new desires and hopes of Chileans. Go out and vote! And may today be a great day for our country” .
Piñera hopes that “the constitution that we approve today will allow us to have that path of dialogue and agreements.”
For his part, Lagos, who was president between 1990 and 2000, also came to vote. The former president assured that “in Chile we have a messy house. Let’s hope that there is a very clear result and that we are all willing to work together for a better Chile.”
Likewise, he was clear in pointing out that “the constitutional discussion closes today. Tonight we are going to have clarity and that clarity is good for Chile.”
Finally, Bachelet, who was president between 2006 and 2010, and between 2014 and 2018, came to vote and responded to the criticism that arose from her participation in the campaign prior to the Plebiscite.
“The former presidents also gave their opinion and no one criticized them, I wonder if there was machismo behind that,” he said.
Likewise, in response to accusations of lying during the campaign, the former president assured that “there are some who want to be president, I am not looking for anything, therefore, I have no reason to lie.”
The results of the 2023 Constitutional Plebiscite will be known today, starting at 8:00 p.m.
The 2023 Chilean constitutional plebiscite is a referendum called with the aim of determining whether citizens agree with the text of a new Political Constitution of the Republic drafted by the Constitutional Council, which is why it is also called a “plebiscite of exit”.
The current constitutional text, drafted during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, has been the subject of criticism by broad sectors of Chilean society, who consider that it is a document that does not reflect the democratic values and social rights that the majority of Chileans enjoy. they aspire.
The exit plebiscite this Sunday, December 17, 2023. Chilean citizens over 18 years of age will be able to vote for or against the new Constitution.
If the new Constitution is approved, it will come into force on March 11, 2024, the date on which the term of the current president, Gabriel Boric, will end.
The results of the plebiscite will be decisive for the future of Chile. If the new Constitution is approved, it will mean an important change in the political and social structure of the country.
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Source: Accounts of the social network X and Instagran of the former presidents, Radio guidelines, With information from AFP
