The Diplomat
The Government of Spain yesterday congratulated the Government, the state institutions and the people of Chile for the “impeccable development of the elections” held on May 15 and 16, in which independent and opposition forces clearly outnumbered the official candidates.
Chileans elected the members of the Constituent Assembly, in charge of drafting the country’s new Constitution, which will be made up of 155 people -with parity between men and women-. They also appointed the mayors and councilors of 346 municipalities and, in the first round, the governors of 16 regions.
In a communiqué, the Spanish Government highlighted “the successful development of the double election day, a reflection of the democratic maturity of Chilean citizens and the strength and solidity of its institutions”, and was “especially pleased with the election of the 155 members of the Constitutional Convention, the first parity election in history and with 17 seats reserved for representatives of indigenous peoples”.
“Spain is convinced that, through dialogue and the search for broad consensus, the Convention will succeed in drafting a Constitution that reflects the aspirations for progress and well-being of the vast majority of Chilean society”, the statement continued. “Looking to the future, the Government of Spain reiterates its willingness to support Chile’s constitutional process, decided by its citizens in last October’s plebiscite, sharing the Spanish constitutional experience and valuing the bonds that unite Chile and Spain as brotherly countries”, it concluded.
With almost one hundred percent of the votes counted, the independent citizens obtained almost one third of the seats in the Constituent Assembly (48) and the two large opposition lists, Apruebo Dignidad and Lista del Apruebo, obtained 28 and 25, respectively. The governmental candidacy, united under the Vamos por Chile list and backed by President Sebastián Piñera, reached 37 seats.
