Elisa Loncon elected an Indigenous woman to oversee the drafting of Chile's new constitution
On Sunday, Elisa Luncon, a Mapuche indigenous, was elected to oversee the drafting of Chile's new constitution, in a bid to distribute power more evenly in the South American country.
The new constitution will replace the legacy of dictator Augusto Pinochet, who is blamed for the lack of social justice that sparked bloody protests in 2019.
Académie Loncon was elected at the head of the 155-member Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting the constitution, with the aim of wresting power from the hands of the elite, in a vote in Santiago that was delayed by clashes between protesters and the police.
The 58-year-old independent candidate from the majority Mapuche group received 96 votes out of 155.
"This agreement will transform Chile," Luncón said, raising a Mapuche flag.
She pointed out that the Constituent Assembly, which was formally formed on Sunday, will be representative of diversity in Chile.
"It is the dream of our ancestors, and this dream came true," she said. It is possible to re-establish Chile to establish a relationship between the Mapuche people... and all the nations that make up this country.”
Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said he hoped Luncon would have the "wisdom and strength" to push for a new constitution.
Lawyer Jaime Bassa, who was elected vice president of the association, noted that its members have the difficult task of healing “the wounds caused by the social process that brought us here” after the 2019 protests.
One by one, election official Carmen Gloria Valladres read out the names of the 155 people elected to the assembly in May.
The council includes lawyers, teachers, housewives, scientists, social workers and journalists. Half of its members are women.
Members of the new assembly were inaugurated during a ceremony as part of a historic process, which was postponed when protesters clashed with a special police unit in nearby streets.
After the start of the meeting with the national anthem, the demonstrators whistled and chanted, "No more persecution."
Valadaris suspended the session temporarily when some demonstrators approached her table and said, "We want a celebration of democracy, no problem."
Demonstrations also took place in the vicinity of Plaza Italia, the epicenter of the protests demanding justice that rocked Chile in October 2019 and eventually led to a decision in May to form the assembly that will draft the new constitution.
