Bachelet announces the creation of a new Constitution in Chile.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced that she will begin, in September, the consultation process for the creation of a new Constitution, since the current one contains several remnants of the dictatorship that governed the country between 1973 and 1990; the measure is part of one of the most important electoral promises of the program that returned her to the presidency in 2013; the president also announced the end of campaign financing by companies to combat corruption.

April 29, 2015, 22:45 hUpdated July 05, 2018, 09:45 pm

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced that she will begin, in September, the consultation process for the creation of a new Constitution, since the current one contains several remnants of the dictatorship that governed the country between 1973 and 1990; the measure is part of one of the most important electoral promises of the program that returned her to the presidency in 2013; the president also announced the end of campaign financing by companies to combat corruption (Photo: Valter Lima)

Opera Mundi - Chilean President Michelle Bachelet announced on Tuesday (April 28) that she will begin the consultation process in September for the creation of a new Constitution, since the current one contains several remnants of the dictatorship that governed the country between 1973 and 1990. This measure is part of one of the most important electoral promises of the program that led to her re-election as president in 2013.

The announcement was made on national radio and television, during which the president also presented anti-corruption proposals after receiving a report from the Presidential Advisory Council against Conflicts of Interest, Influence Peddling, and Corruption. Among the measures presented by the president is the end of campaign financing by companies.

The constituent process will begin in September and will include citizen participation to approve a new Constitution to replace the current one, which contains several elements inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).

Corruption

The legal reform project presented by Bachelet aims to end "irregularities, corruption, and lack of ethics," as the president detailed. It also includes administrative measures and legal reforms that will be urgently evaluated in parliament.

The proposed measure aims to make campaign financing more transparent and eliminate anonymous donors. Furthermore, "companies will not be allowed to make donations of any kind," Bachelet announced, adding that failure to comply with the new rules, should they be approved, will be considered a crime.

"My principle is clear: democracy and politics belong to everyone, and we cannot tolerate them being captured by the power of money," the president emphasized. Earlier this week, the Chilean leader enacted a law replacing the Chilean binomial electoral system, inherited from the dictatorship, with a proportional model.