Chileans rejected the 1980 constitution adopted during the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet in a referendum. It is reported by BBC News.
It is noted that about 78 percent of citizens were in favor of changing the main law. Thousands of residents of the country took to the streets to celebrate the victory.
It is known that the impetus for the referendum was the mass protests of citizens against inequality. Elections to the Constituent Assembly are now scheduled in Chile on April 11, 2021, after which this body will begin work on a new law.
Chile has long been one of the most calm and stable states in South America. However, in 2019, protests began in the country, which escalated into riots with killed and wounded. Soldiers and military equipment took to the streets, a state of emergency and a curfew were introduced in the country. It all started with an increase in the price of travel in the capital's metro.
On September 11, 1973, a military coup took place in Chile, as a result of which the socialist president Salvador Allende was overthrown. He himself died during the storming of the presidential palace, members of his cabinet, many civil servants and left-wing political activists were arrested, executed, or fled the country. Pinochet, who came to power in a coup, ruled the country until 1990. According to official figures, during the period of the dictatorship from 1973 to 1990, 3225 people were executed for political reasons or went missing. More than 37 thousand were tortured.
