The referendum that took place in Chile on October 25 for or against the abolition of the 1980 constitution imposed by the dictatorial regime of A. Pinochet, turned into a plebiscite to end the era of fascist dictatorship.
With more than 50% of voters, 80% of them voted for abolition and better still, a large majority (70%) opted for a constituent to be appointed exclusively through the electoral process, while the right-wing forces and Social Democrats who have governed the country since the end of the dictatorship wanted the participation of political parties, their own, in the drafting of a new constitution. The backdrop of this 1980 constitution was an economic policy entirely devoted to the interests of capitalism and the local oligarchy that represents it, closely linked to and under the domination of US imperialism. In other words, the destruction of this constitution marks an important step in the struggle for the independence of Chile. This result did not come out of thin air. Immediately after the fall of the dictatorship, the political forces of the right and of social democracy, alternately or together, strove to perpetuate the essential features of Pinochet's policy.
As the Communist Party of Chile (PCC) rightly points out: "On October 25, the Chilean people rejected Pinochet's constitution... This constitution imposed by neoliberalism, once the dictatorship was exhausted, has survived the last 30 years thanks to the duopoly of" transition to democracy ", of those who put up with neoliberalism and didn't want to change anything. But it’s over”.
This popular victory is the result of the intense class struggle that has developed in recent years and in which the CCP took an active part. In the last period, the struggles took a sharp turn as recalled by the Chilean communists: “After a year of popular uprising and the violent policy of state repression, the people on the move have won their right to a dignified life, demonstrating in the streets and voting, generating this overwhelming victory [...].Millions of young people joined in this task, and there were hundreds of thousands who, from all the popular communes of the country, turned to the challenge of ensuring the triumph of hope for the change we all want, making this plebiscite an indelible milestone in the history of Chile”.
The forces of capital and US imperialism are not ready to accept this result, these victorious popular struggles in Latin America. They will do their utmost to limit their scope and divert their content, which is why the stake of the new constitution itself is so important. The Chilean people will not give up; we owe them and our party is giving them unwavering solidarity.