Chile’s Constitutional Chaos

Issue Date January 2023
Volume 34
Issue 1
Page Numbers 141–55
file Print
arrow-down-thin Download from Project MUSE
external View Citation

On 4 September 2022, Chilean voters resoundingly rejected a progressive new constitution that offered a blueprint for social democracy. Some observers argue that Chile wisely escaped a narrow brush with a brand of authoritarian leftism long dominant in Latin America. This interpretation is simplistic and obscures the wider forces of illiberalism that contributed to the constitution’s defeat. With the intrusion of everyday politics into the process, any reboot of the constitutional process will likely lead to a document that offers a much narrower vision of democracy.

About the Authors

Jennifer M. Piscopo

Jennifer M. Piscopo is associate professor of politics at Occidental College.

View all work by Jennifer M. Piscopo

Peter M. Siavelis

Peter M. Siavelis is professor of politics and international affairs at Wake Forest University.

View all work by Peter M. Siavelis