In a decision loaded with symbolism and in reflection of the spirit of the new Constituent Convention inaugurated in Chile this Sunday, Elisa Loncón was elected president of the body that must draft a new Constitution.
On Sunday, the 155 Constituent Convention delegates elected Loncón, a 58-year-old indigenous woman, to preside over the body that will create Chile’s new Magna Carta, replacing the current one inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
Loncón, a teacher, linguist and activist from Chile’s majority indigenous ethnic group, the Mapuche, was elected by an absolute majority of 96 votes in the second round of the Convention’s inaugural session. The session was stopped for almost an hour due to objections made by a group of delegates as a result of clashes between the police and protesters in the center of Santiago.
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