08 September 2022
Chile’s constitutional endeavour goes on
The Chilean people overwhelmingly rejected the draft constitution in the referendum held on September 4. How did it come to that? And what will happen now? A few first impressions on a result that seemed impossible a few months ago. Continue reading >>
0 
31 August 2022
Win or Lose, Chile’s Draft Constitution Heralds a New Era of Climate Constitutionalism
On September 4, Chileans will vote on whether to adopt a new constitution. It is a deeply contested election. Polls show that the yes vote is trailing by roughly 10% points, but with over 15% of voters still undecided, as of last week. The debate over the new text has centered on questions of the balance of powers, the autonomy of indigenous people, and the participation of the private sector in the provision of social security, health, and education. But one of the most innovative features of the text is not getting enough attention domestically – its deep engagement with environmentalism, and with climate change in particular. Continue reading >>24 August 2022
The Constitution of What?
On 4 September, the Chilean people will vote on whether a draft constitution, the result of the work of a Constitutional Convention, will replace the current constitution, which dates back to Pinochet’s dictatorship. Chile’s constituent process, one might think, will thus soon be over. The future is less clear. The draft can be understood as as an exercise of social self-constitution. Its feasibility, however, seems to depend on accommodating social pluralism with the opposed logic of the realm of politics and its permanent dynamic of generating a unity that speaks with one voice. Continue reading >>
0
25 Mai 2022
Schlechte Umfragewerte für Chiles Verfassung
Die Verfassunggebende Versammlung in Chile befindet sich im Endspurt, bevor am 5. Juli 2022 der endgültige Vorschlag veröffentlicht werden muss. Doch die letzten Umfragen großer Meinungsforschungsinstitute zeigen seit einigen Wochen eine knappe Mehrheit, die gegen die neue Verfassung stimmen möchte. Das könnte vor allem an der gescheiterten Kommunikation der Verfassunggebenden Versammlung liegen. Continue reading >>
0
08 April 2022
Getting on the Wrong Side of Constitutionalism
The Chilean new constitution will be voted on a general plebiscite on September 4, 2022. While a few months ago the plebiscite might have looked like a formality, the approval rates for the Constitutional Convention and what is known of the proposed text so far have been dropping for some time now. According to recent polls, the rejection of the new text is becoming more and more likely, putting the constituent process under even more pressure. Continue reading >>
0
04 März 2022
Ein plurinationales Rechtssystem für Chile
Seit Mitte Februar schreiben die Mitglieder der Verfassunggebenden Versammlung in Chile an den Normen einer neuen Verfassung. In der ersten Woche stimmte das Plenum über Regeln zu Rechtssystem und Staatsaufbau ab. Die Ergebnisse der Abstimmungen haben in der Öffentlichkeit wegen mangelnder Klarheit für viel Diskussion gesorgt. Mit diesen Normen scheint die Verfassunggebende Versammlung Ungerechtigkeiten der Vergangenheit gegenüber der indigenen Bevölkerung beheben zu wollen. Das zeigt sich an dem Stellenwert, den der Verfassungsentwurf den Regionen und indigenen Rechtssystemen zuschreibt. Continue reading >>04 Januar 2022
Restoring the Validity of Law in Democratic Societies
The questions posed by Professors Andrew Arato and András Sajó in their open letter Restoring Constitutionalism are pressing and of utmost public importance. Many of the issues and controversies raised in the letter arise after “democratic backsliding has taken place” and when the constitution already includes “entrenched authoritarian enclaves”. Taking this context into consideration, I will examine a more basic issue, namely the validity of law in a democratic society. Continue reading >>
0
30 September 2021
Die Chilenische Verfassunggebende Versammlung
Die Verfassunggebende Versammlung in Chile hat am 28. und 29. September 2021 die grundsätzlichen Verfahrensregeln ihrer Arbeit verabschiedet. Seit der Wahl ihrer Mitglieder im Mai 2021 ist klargeworden, dass der politische und sozialökonomische Kontext einen erheblichen Einfluss auf ihre Arbeit hat. Gleichzeitig erhebt die Versammlung gewisse Machtansprüche im aktuellen politischen Diskurs. Continue reading >>22 Juni 2021
Chile’s Kaleidoscopic Constituent Assembly
Chile is getting rid of Pinochet — at long last. Last month, Chileans elected a constituent assembly that will draft a constitutional text to replace the current Constitution, which the dictator imposed in 1980. Though the result of the deliberative process that will soon commence is uncertain, one thing is sure: Chile’s constituent assembly resembles the country in ways that no political arrangement had allowed so far. Continue reading >>
0
04 März 2021
Assembling Social Rights
In April 2021, Chile will hold elections for its first constitutional assembly. It will draft a new constitution to replace the current one, born in 1980 during Chile’s military dictatorship. One topic that will be at the center of the assembly’s debate is the status that ‘social rights’ shall have in the new constitution. The most debated issue in this regard is whether such rights should be directly enforceable. Despite the distance in time, space and culture, the drafting of Chile’s new constitution can learn important lessons from Germany’s constitutions of 1919 and 1949 in this field. Continue reading >>
0