The top adviser to Chile’s president-elect, Gabriel Boric, said he will strengthen contacts with the Constitutional Convention days after other key allies downplayed concerns about radicalism in the letter’s wording.
The next Minister Secretary General of the Presidency, George Jackson, has been in contact with the convention leaders and they have agreed to hold regular coordination meetings. The new government will do everything possible to ensure the constitution is completed on time, Jackson told reporters on Monday.
Expectations of constitution writers have been tempered, former convention vice president said Sunday Jaime Bassa in an interview with El Mercurio.
The high quorum necessary to approve articles encourages dialogue on proposals, the member of the convention told the same newspaper Beatrice Sanchez. Both Bassa and Sánchez are from Boric’s Broad Front coalition.
Chile’s Constitutional Convention faces scrutiny as it moves forward with key votes at both committee and plenary levels. Last week, several right-wing members claimed that their views are not being considered.
At the same time, investors are nervous about the advancement of radical proposals that would clear the way for nationalizations and the annulment of water rights.
The tax reform will be among Boric’s most important bills and will also be one of the first proposals he brings to Congress for debate, Jackson said. The government will give more details after taking office on March 11, he said.
The convention will vote on the articles until April 22, after which a committee will review the draft to resolve possible inconsistencies. A national referendum on the Magna Carta will take place in the second half of 2022.
A decree published last year put the General Secretariat of the Presidency in charge of providing technical, administrative and financial support to the convention.
