The Minister of the Interior, Carolina Tohá, confirmed that the initiative will be sent to the legislative precinct in the next hours.

According to a reform to the Constitution approved in 2022, suffrages ceased to be a right. It became obligatory, and those who abstain without a justified reason will suffer an economic sanction equivalent to about 200 dollars.

However, during the discussion of a project to hold the October voting in two days instead of only one, due to the large number of positions to be elected, the deputies agreed to maintain the obligatory nature of the vote but eliminate the punishment for absentees.

The issue brought up the Magna Carta mandate, where the attendance to the polls is mandatory in the case of Chilean citizens, but voluntary for foreigners with definitive residence for more than five years.

Furthermore, when these two-day elections, October 26 and 27, were approved, the holiday for workers in commerce and services was eliminated.

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