According to the schedule published on the official website of that body, the first of the 26 plenary sessions to debate and vote on the chapters of the future Constitution, to be submitted for referendum on December 17th, began this Friday.

The 50 councilors will analyze until October 4th the 15 articles of the Constitution, which is intended to replace the one imposed in 1980 during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).

The far-right Republican Party and the right-wing Chile Vamos coalition have a large majority and veto power, and have hindered the project, which was prepared by a commission of experts, by collecting the ideas of a single sector, which is a setback for democracy, said Karen Araya, a member of the center-left bloc Unity for Chile.

Only five amendments presented by Unity for Chile were approved in the commissions, where more than a thousand modifications were debated and adopted.

Among the proposals of the Republicans and the right that were approved are the outlawing of abortions, which violates the law of voluntary interruption of pregnancy due to fetal inviability, danger to the life of the mother or rape.

Other controversial norms adopted in commissions are constitutionalizing the private health system, increasing the age to be president of the Republic from 35 to 40 years, limiting the right to water or allowing the concession of national goods for public use, including hydrocarbons.

A survey was published this month by the Pulso Ciudadano polling firm revealing that 59.7 percent of Chileans have little or no confidence in the process, and 50.5 percent show no interest whatsoever.

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