Chile decides on Sunday the future of the Constitution through a compulsory vote

First modification: 09/01/2022 – 12:00

The expectation for next September 4 is not only in what the country is at stake in deciding whether or not to replace the current Constitution, but also that it is an exit plebiscite whose vote is mandatory.

This means that anyone over 18 years of age and with their electoral domicile in Chile must go to their polling place to fulfill their civic duty, otherwise they risk fines of up to 180,000 Chilean pesos, about 200 euros.

Young people in the spotlight

Until before the entry plebiscite in 2020, the age group with the least participation in the elections corresponded to young people between 18 and 30 years old.

“I have always gone to vote, I participate a lot in that and deep down beyond whether it is mandatory or not, what is at stake is super important, more than one’s comfort,” explains Gustavo, about 20 years old, in Santiago. “The same thing, I am also super informed and I would go to vote the same, yes or yes, whether or not it was mandatory,” adds Alejandra, his partner.

“Extraordinary circumstances”

The exit plebiscite is not only mandatory but also a series of factors that may influence the result this Sunday.

Marta Lagos, pollster, analyzes the characteristics of this plebiscite: “We have many extraordinary circumstances: the knowledge of the compulsory vote, the fear of a fine, the relocation of each voter, the proximity of the vote and in addition to that, the announcement of the transport free public.

Lagos is especially concerned about the disparity that may exist between the Metropolitan Region, where greater Santiago is located, and the rest of the regions where there is not always public transport: “That means that there will be more proportional voting, an increase in voting proportional in the Metropolitan Region, than in the rest of the country or in those cities where transportation is not free”, says Lagos.

an uncertain outcome

For the pollster, these characteristics make a forecast of the result even more difficult: “If 12 million voters vote, it is a great triumph of the social uprising, which convenes, even polarizes, even divides, but which calls for demonstrations for this Constitution and that seems to me to revitalize democracy”, he stresses.

For her, if participation is important, it will also resolve the question of whether the people who protest are also going to vote.