Voters reject proposed new constitution in Chile

Chilean voters on Sunday overwhelmingly rejected a proposal to adopt a new, left-leaning constitution to replace the one imposed by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet 41 years ago, The Washington Post and NPR report.

The old constitution is one of the most market-friendly in the world. The referendum proposed a new one intended to be more egalitarian, establishing universal health care, abortion rights, and dozens of other constitutional and Indigenous rights. Critics said the changes were too drastic.

With 92 percent of the ballots tallied on Sunday night, 62 percent had voted against the new constitution, according to Chile's electoral authority. The referendum was held to fulfill a promise to working- and middle-class Chileans who protested high prices and low wages in 2019.

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