Chile to change its charter to restore peace
Chile’s Congress has reached an agreement to reform the country’s constitution in an effort to restore peace after weeks of violent protests that have led to the deaths of at least 20 people. Chilean Senate President Jaime Quintana said the new code would “build a true social contract” and be “100% democratic” compared to the current constitution, which was approved in 1980 during the rule of military dictator Augusto Pinochet. The protests initially began over a now-suspended price hike for subway tickets in Santiago but have since expanded, revealing anger among ordinary Chileans who feel they have been excluded from the nation’s economic rise. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera had already promised social and economic reforms to tackle issues at the heart of the recent unrest, including pension raises, affordable medical insurance, lowering the price of medicine and stabilizing electricity prices.
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