translated from Spanish: The Chamber of Deputies approved the constitutional reform that restores the mandatory vote

The Chamber of Deputies approved, by 96 votes in favour, 33 against and two abstentions, a draft constitutional reform that reinstates compulsory suffrage in popular elections. According to the text agreed in the Committee on the Internal Government and submitted to the Chamber by Mealo Pérez (DC), the new wording of the constitutional provision defines that, “in popular voting, suffrage shall be personal, egalitarian, secret and obligatory”. In conjunction with the above, it is established that the newly indicated obligation shall not apply to persons over 75 years of age. And that the State will arbitrate the actions necessary to inform, facilitate and incentivize the exercise of the right to suffrage. The proposal was born in two parliamentary motions: the one assigned with bulletin 13.028 , originated by the DC Joanna Pérez; PS Daniella Cicardini; PPD Cristina Girardi, PR Marcela Hernando; RN Karin Luck and Andrés Longton; PPD Andrea Parra; and FRVS Jaime Mulet; and that of bulletin 13.029, authored by FRVS Esteban Velasquez, Alejandra Sepúlveda and Jaime Mulet, together with the independent Pedro Velasquez.Both initiatives took as sustenance the low participation of electoral or abstention in matters of national interest, registered as a result of the entry into force of the law of voluntary voting and the need to have democratically elected authorities that represent the real feeling of the country. The draft will now return to the Committee on the Internal Government for a second report, given the submission of indications.

Original source in Spanish