When you last heard from Daveschile, in late August 2022, we were meekly predicting the defeat of the much awaited proposal for a new Chilean constitution. That prediction proved to be right, so since the September 4th plebiscite, in which they rejected the proposal by
“We, the people of Chile, comprised of diverse nations, freely grant this constitution, agreed to in a participatory and democratic process with parity of representation.” This is the short Preamble of the proposal for a new Magna Carta for Chile, crafted by 154 members of
Let’s remember a ways back; back before Chileans elected a new congress, and before they elected a new President (35 year old Gabriel Boric), all to take charge on March 11, 2022. Just before those important elections, they chose a group of 155 citizens to
President-elect Gabriel Boric has presented Chileans with a cabinet that, at least photographically, depicts the change he is proposing for Chile. Boric’s cabinet is meant to show first and foremost a commitment to gender equality, diversity, concern for social justice, and generational change regarding the
A couple of days after arriving in Chile, I was stuck standing in line at the VTR office in Santiago, attempting to procure a new mobile phone. To my surprise, a big screen TV on the wall was showing the ceremony at the national electoral
On Sunday, October 25, 2020, over seven million Chileans participated in a plebiscite that decisively launched a process to rewrite Chile’s Constitution. About 75% of them favored the constitutional rewrite, and to do it via the election of 155 citizens to make up a Constitutional
I started this article several weeks ago with good intentions to provide the best personal description and interpretation I could of the social explosion that was affecting Chile; I entitled it “The Soul of Chile”. Every now and then the small, relatively insular South American
As I recall, albeit through the haze of an all night bachelor’s outing with several friends, Saturday, June 6, 1970, was a lovely, clear, crisp day. But mostly, it defined the future: a half century of adventure, love, celebration, learning, teaching, and sharing. With a
This motto on Chile’s national emblem, adopted in 1834, would suggest that the “Chilean way” is to try to reason through a conflict, and only as a last resort use force to prevail. Por la Razón, o la Fuerza!!
Three weeks of massive civil protests, some peaceful, others violent, have left parts of Chile, especially its capital city Santiago, looking like a war zone. Chileans too often have faced costly and deadly disasters, but lately, except for the military coup d’etat in 1973,