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Expert Commission

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Expert Commission
Comisión Experta
Formation6 March 2023
TypeConstitution-drafting advisory body
HeadquartersSantiago, Chile
Members24 commissioners
President
Verónica Undurraga
Websitewww.procesoconstitucional.cl/comision-experta/

The Expert Commission (Spanish: Comisión Experta) was a 24-member body that Chile's National Congress appointed in 2023 to prepare a preliminary draft of a new constitution. It was one of three bodies created for the country's second attempt in two years to replace the 1980 Constitution, after voters rejected the first proposal in 2022. The other two were the elected Constitutional Council, which was to debate and amend the commission's text, and a 14-member technical committee that checked the draft against a set of agreed constitutional principles.

Law No. 21,533, published on 17 January 2023, established the commission.[1] The commissioners, divided almost evenly between the governing coalition and the right-wing opposition, began work on 6 March 2023.[2] They approved a 14-chapter draft by consensus at the end of May and delivered it to the Constitutional Council on 7 June 2023. The council, in which the Republican Party was the largest group, substantially rewrote the text, and voters rejected the council's version in a referendum on 17 December 2023.

Background

[edit]

On 4 September 2022,[3] Chileans voted in a national plebiscite known as the "exit plebiscite"[4][5] on the new Political Constitution of the Republic drafted earlier that year by the Constitutional Convention. The proposal had faced "intense criticism that it was too long, too left-wing and too radical"[6] and was rejected by 62% to 38%.[7][8] Observers described it as one of the world's most progressive constitutions, but many voters found it too polarizing, and controversies marred the process.[9] The 1980 Constitution therefore remained in force.

Agreement for Chile

[edit]

Political parties reached the "Agreement for Chile" (Acuerdo por Chile) on 12 December 2022 as a second attempt to draft a new constitution under different rules.[10] It provided for 50 directly elected constitutional councillors to write the constitution from a preliminary draft prepared by 24 experts appointed by Congress. A 14-member body, also appointed by Congress, was to ensure that the text complied with 12 institutional and fundamental principles set out in the agreement.[11]

The right-leaning Congress ratified the agreement as a constitutional reform a month later,[12][13] although the Republican Party and the Party of the People did not take part in the agreement while agreeing to contest the elections.[10] Unlike in the previous convention, a three-fifths majority was needed to approve articles, instead of two-thirds. The number of seats reserved for Indigenous representatives was not fixed but depended on the votes Indigenous candidates received, and the council was required to have equal numbers of men and women.[14]

Mandate and procedure

[edit]

The commission's task was to prepare a preliminary draft (anteproyecto) of a new constitution for the 50 members of the Constitutional Council to discuss, starting in June 2023.[15][16][17] The work period ran from 6 March to 6 June 2023, and the council was to begin work after the commission finished.[18] Once the council was installed, the commissioners could attend its plenary sessions and committees and speak, but not vote.[19] They could also sit on a joint committee with councillors to resolve disagreements over the text.[20]

The commission divided into four subcommissions of six members each, with every subcommission assigned a thematic area:[21][22]

  • political system, constitutional reform and form of the State;
  • jurisdictional function and autonomous bodies;
  • principles, civil and political rights; and
  • economic, social, cultural and environmental rights.

A subcommission needed an absolute majority of its members present to meet, and its agreements required the support of at least three-fifths of its members. The plenary could meet with at least one-third of members present, and any provision included in the draft had to be approved by at least three-fifths of the commissioners.[23]

Composition

[edit]

Appointment

[edit]

Congress appointed the 24 commissioners, half chosen by the Chamber of Deputies and half by the Senate. Each appointment needed the approval of four-sevenths of the members of the relevant chamber.[24][25] The chamber of deputies voted on 24 January 2023 and the Senate on 25 January.[26][27] Around the same time a joint committee of senators and deputies drew up the rules of procedure for the three bodies, which were approved on 23 January 2023.[28]

Parliamentary groups

[edit]

Ten commissioners came from the right-wing Chile Vamos coalition, six from the center-left Democratic Socialism, and four from the left-wing Approve Dignity. The Christian Democratic Party had two members, the Republican Party one, and one independent had no party affiliation.

Seat distribution of the commission by coalition
Coalition/Party Members
Chile Vamos National Renewal 5
Independent Democratic Union 4
Evópoli 1
Democratic Socialism Socialist Party 3
Party for Democracy 2
Liberal Party 1
Approve Dignity Communist Party 1
Social Convergence 1
Democratic Revolution 1
Social Green Regionalist Federation 1
Christian Democratic Party 2
Republican Party 1
Independent (supported by RN, PdG and Yellows) 1

Members

[edit]

Party entries marked "independent" refer to commissioners who ran under the banner of a party without being members.

Image Name Coalition Party Appointed by Subcommission
Paz Anastasiadis None PDC Chamber of Deputies Jurisdictional function
Jaime Arancibia Chile Vamos RN Senate Rights
Alexis Cortés Approve Dignity PCCh Chamber of Deputies Rights
Carlos Frontaura None Independent (nominated by the Republican Party) Chamber of Deputies Principles
Magaly Fuenzalida Approve Dignity Independent (nominated by the FRVS) Senate Principles
Natalia González Chile Vamos Independent (nominated by the UDI) Chamber of Deputies Political system
Bettina Horst Chile Vamos Independent (nominated by the UDI) Senate Rights
Alejandra Krauss None PDC Senate Rights
Catalina Lagos Democratic Socialism PS Senate Principles
Hernán Larraín Chile Vamos UDI Senate Jurisdictional function
Domingo Lovera Approve Dignity RD Chamber of Deputies Jurisdictional function
Katherine Martorell Chile Vamos RN Senate Jurisdictional function
Gabriel Osorio Democratic Socialism PS Senate Political system
Juan José Ossa Chile Vamos RN Chamber of Deputies Political system
Máximo Pavez Chile Vamos UDI Chamber of Deputies Principles
Marcela Peredo None Independent (nominated by the PDG) Chamber of Deputies Principles
Flavio Quezada Democratic Socialism PS Chamber of Deputies Rights
Teodoro Ribera Chile Vamos RN Senate Rights
Antonia Rivas Approve Dignity CS Chamber of Deputies Political system
Catalina Salem Chile Vamos Independent (nominated by RN) Chamber of Deputies Jurisdictional function
Leslie Sánchez Democratic Socialism PL Senate Jurisdictional function
Francisco Soto Democratic Socialism Independent (nominated by the PPD) Senate Political system
Sebastián Soto Chile Vamos Evópoli Senate Political system
Verónica Undurraga Democratic Socialism Independent (nominated by the PPD) Chamber of Deputies Principles
Bold indicates the chair of the subcommission.

Leadership

[edit]

The commission was inaugurated on 6 March 2023 at the Palace of the former National Congress in Santiago. Hernán Larraín, at 75 the oldest commissioner, chaired the opening session.[29] The rules provided for the president to be elected by majority vote and the vice president to be the runner-up, but the 24 commissioners instead agreed unanimously, without a vote, on Verónica Undurraga as president and Sebastián Soto as vice president.[30][31] Opposition commissioners chaired three of the four subcommissions.

Office Name Political group
President Verónica Undurraga Party for Democracy
Vice president Sebastián Soto Evópoli

Draft constitution

[edit]

The four subcommissions voted on more than 900 amendments before the plenary took up the text.[32] On 30 May 2023, almost three months after being installed, the commission finished voting on the 14 chapters of the preliminary draft. Undurraga said the commission had fulfilled its mandate, and that the 24 commissioners had defended differing views "with conviction and even with passion".[33] Among other provisions, the draft proposed replacing the Constitutional Court's predecessor, the Constitutional Tribunal, with a new Constitutional Court, and removed the president's casting vote on the court.[34] Soto said the commissioners had sought a consensus text that would "convene and not divide".[35] Several proposals that the commission rejected, and some votes with dissenting commissioners, were expected to return for debate in the council.[36]

The commission officially presented the text on 5 June 2023 after the General Secretariat of the Constitutional Process reviewed it. Undurraga described the achievement as "half of the way".[37] The commission handed the draft to the newly installed Constitutional Council on 7 June 2023.[38]

Aftermath

[edit]

The Constitutional Council, elected on 7 May 2023, used the commission's draft as its working base. The vote gave the right-wing parties, and the Republican Party above all, the largest share of seats.[9] The council's own proposal was put to a mandatory referendum on 17 December 2023, where about 55.76% voted against and 44.24% in favor.[39] Turnout was 84.5%, and voting was compulsory.[40] President Gabriel Boric said his government would not pursue a third rewrite attempt and the 1980 Constitution stayed in force.[41]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Diario Oficial publica reforma que habilita un nuevo proceso constituyente". La Tercera (in Spanish). 17 January 2023.
  2. ↑ pauta. "Proceso constituyente 2.0: se instala Comisión Experta y Comité Técnico de Admisibilidad". pauta (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  3. ↑ Fuentes, Cristóbal (5 April 2022). "Ya hay fecha: plebiscito de salida para votar una nueva Constitución será el 4". La Tercera. Archived from the original on 5 April 2022. Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  4. ↑ Armaza, Christian (26 October 2020). "Plebiscito de salida: la instancia donde se aprobará o rechazará la nueva Constitución". El Día (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  5. ↑ "Plebiscito de Salida: cuándo es y por qué es urgente". chile.as.com. 13 March 2022. Archived from the original on 13 March 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  6. ↑ Schmidt, Samantha (4 September 2022). "Chilean voters decisively reject leftist constitution". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  7. ↑ "Plebiscito: Chile rechaza propuesta de nueva Constitución con histórica participación de más de 12 millones de personas". La Tercera. 4 September 2022. Archived from the original on 4 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Chile votes overwhelmingly to reject new, progressive constitution". The Guardian. 5 September 2022. Archived from the original on 5 September 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
  9. 1 2 "Chile's conservatives win most seats on constitution rewrite body". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Chilean Political Parties Agree to Have Another Go at Rewriting Constitution". Bloomberg.com. 13 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  11. ↑ "Third Time's a Charm? Chile Embarks on a New Constitution-making Process". ConstitutionNet. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  12. ↑ "Chile's New Constitutional Process Shifts to the Right". NACLA. 15 February 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  13. ↑ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Parlamento chileno aprueba reforma que habilita nuevo proceso constituyente | DW | 11.01.2023". DW.COM (in European Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  14. ↑ Dispatch, Peoples (15 January 2023). "Chilean Congress approves bill to launch new constituent process". Peoples Dispatch. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  15. ↑ "Expertos empiezan en enero de 2023 y plebiscito se haría en diciembre: el calendario que fija el acuerdo constitucional". latercera.com (in Spanish). 12 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "Ad portas del fin de negociación: Partidos trabajan en redacción del acuerdo y órgano se llamaría Consejo Constitucional". emol.com (in Spanish). 12 December 2022.
  17. ↑ "Hay acuerdo entre partidos: órgano 100% electo y 24 expertos redactarían la nueva Constitución". t13.cl (in Spanish). 12 December 2022.
  18. ↑ Parro, Santiago (28 April 2023). "¿Cuál es el rol de la Comisión Experta antes y después de la votación del 7 de mayo?". Pauta (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  19. ↑ "Consejo Constitucional: Revisa el documento con todos los detalles del "Acuerdo por Chile"". T13 (in Spanish). t13.cl. 13 December 2022..
  20. ↑ Parro, Santiago (28 April 2023). "¿Cuál es el rol de la Comisión Experta antes y después de la votación del 7 de mayo?". Pauta (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  21. ↑ "Consejo Constitucional: Revisa el documento con todos los detalles del "Acuerdo por Chile"". T13 (in Spanish). t13.cl. 13 December 2022..
  22. ↑ Redacción La Neta (10 March 2023). "Conoce aquí la integración de las cuatro subcomisiones de la Comisión Experta" (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "Consejo Constitucional: Revisa el documento con todos los detalles del "Acuerdo por Chile"". T13 (in Spanish). t13.cl. 13 December 2022..
  24. ↑ "Rostros conocidos y caras nuevas: el detalle de los 12 nombres aprobados por la Cámara para conformar la Comisión Experta". El Mostrador (in Spanish). elmostrador.cl. 24 January 2023..
  25. ↑ "Comisión Experta: Senado aprueba su lista de 12 nombres complementarios para el proceso constitucional". ADN Radio (in Spanish). adnradio.cl. 25 January 2023..
  26. ↑ ADN. "Comisión Experta: Senado aprueba su lista de 12 nombres complementarios para el proceso constitucional" (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  27. ↑ El Mercurio S.A.P (24 January 2023). "Cámara aprueba nombres: ¿Quiénes son los 12 expertos elegidos para participar del proceso constitucional? | Emol.com" (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  28. ↑ Senado. "Despachan propuesta de reglamento para el funcionamiento del proceso constituyente - Senado - República de Chile" (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  29. ↑ "Consejo Constitucional: Revisa el documento con todos los detalles del "Acuerdo por Chile"". T13 (in Spanish). t13.cl. 13 December 2022..
  30. ↑ "Proceso constituyente: Se constituye Comisión Experta y Verónica Undurraga será la presidenta". T13 (in Spanish). t13.cl. 6 March 2023..
  31. ↑ Ojeda, Juan Manuel (7 March 2023). "La Comisión Experta debuta con acuerdo unánime para la mesa directiva y la oposición presidiendo tres de cuatro subcomisiones". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2023.
  32. ↑ "Comisión Experta entra en su recta final y el pleno se alista para ratificar el anteproyecto de nueva Constitución". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  33. ↑ "Comisión Experta despachó el anteproyecto constitucional y entregará el texto a los consejeros". CNN Chile (in Spanish). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  34. ↑ "Adiós al voto dirimente: Comisión Experta aprueba la creación de una Corte Constitucional que reemplazaría al TC". CNN Chile (in Spanish). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  35. ↑ "Comisión Experta despachó el anteproyecto constitucional y entregará el texto a los consejeros". CNN Chile (in Spanish). 30 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  36. ↑ Romero, María Cristina (31 May 2023). "Comisión Experta despacha el anteproyecto constitucional: Lo que quedó fuera y las votaciones con disidencias". Emol (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  37. ↑ "Comisión experta presenta versión oficial del anteproyecto: revisa aquí sus 14 capítulos". Biobío Chile (in Spanish). 5 June 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  38. ↑ "Mesa Comisión Experta aprobación anteproyecto". 24horas (in Spanish). 31 May 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  39. ↑ "In Chile, voters reject new constitution in referendum". ConstitutionNet. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  40. ↑ "Chile – December 2023: Chileans reject draft constitution in second referendum". Democracy Tracker, International IDEA. December 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
  41. ↑ "In Chile, voters reject new constitution in referendum". ConstitutionNet. 18 December 2023. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
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