Global Get Down Episode April 2, 2021

Change in Chile: A New Chapter and What It Means for South American Politics

10:00am - 10:55am

On this week’s episode, co-hosts Nanna and Miguel are joined by Professor Zaraí Toledo Orozco and UBC IR student Tomas Kantor to discuss the political developments in Chile following the October 25th (2020) referendum.

The referendum resulted in a landslide approval to rewrite the Chilean constitution. It also resulted in the approval of a constitutional convention, which will be made up of elected members specifically for the purposes of drafting the new constitution. This marks the beginning of the end of the constitution of 1980 - a constitution which was written under the Pinochet military dictatorship and had been considered illegitimate by many. We explore the historical context dating back to the Allende era, the Pinochet dictatorship, the recent protests, how the referendum has been received in Santiago, and what this could mean for the rest of the region moving forward.