"Never again without us"
By a vote of 28 in favor, 6 against, and 4 abstentions, the Senate approved gender parity for the Constitutional Convention on Wednesday afternoon, March 4. This convention will be convened should the "Approve" and "Constitutional Convention" options win in the plebiscite on April 26. On that day, the Chilean people will decide whether to continue with Augusto Pinochet's Constitution or replace it with a new Fundamental Charter, and what the drafting mechanism will be. The options are a Mixed Convention (composed of half sitting members of parliament and half people elected specifically for this task) or a Constitutional Convention (100% elected).
After three months of debate, progress has been made on the demands of the street protests that began last October. Thanks to pressure exerted by the social movement—with significant and active participation from feminist movements—some obstacles and limitations imposed by the current government have been overcome. These measures include incorporating gender parity, reserved seats for Indigenous peoples, and facilitating—albeit in a limited way—the participation of independent candidates.
"Never again without us" was the slogan raised by women and feminist movements that resounded in the halls of the National Congress in Valparaíso.
Women represent 51% of the population in Chile, while they only have 22% representation in Congress.
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