Chilean President Sebastian Pinera makes an announcement at the La Moneda Presidential Palace in Santiago, Chile, on Oct. 30, 2019. (Sebastian Beltran Gaete/Agencia Uno via Xinhua)
The drafting of a new constitution was one of the demands made by protesters during the widespread social unrest that began in mid-October.
SANTIAGO, Dec. 27 (Xinhua) -- Chilean President Sebastian Pinera signed on Friday the decree that calls for a constitutional referendum that will focus on the possibility of drafting a new constitution.
"With great joy and enthusiasm, I want to call on all our compatriots to participate in the referendum that we will have on Sunday, April 26 (of 2020)," the president said at an event that took place at La Moneda Palace in Santiago.
"Just as we have said and done over the last 30 years, once again, with pencil and paper, we citizens will be able to express our opinion and define our paths," he added.
The leader recently passed the reform bill allowing for the referendum that will enable Chilean citizens to decide on whether a new constitution will be drafted.
According to experts, the current Chilean constitution, created in 1980 by Augusto Pinochet, has gone through dozens of reforms, but is now considered by many to be illegitimate due to its origin and because it does not meet the needs of the population.
The drafting of a new constitution was one of the demands made by protesters during the widespread social unrest that began in mid-October. ■
