Conservatives prevail in key vote for new Chile constitution

By EVA VERGARA
Associated Press

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A far-right party is leading in the vote count after Chileans cast ballots Sunday for a 50-member commission that is to draft a new coonstitution. Voters overwhelmingly rejected an earlier proposed charter last year that was considered one of the world’s most progressive. The results mark a major defeat for center-left President Gabriel Boric as the vote is widely viewed as a referendum on his government, which currently has an approval rating of around 30%. With 91% of polling stations reporting, the Republican Party leads with 35% of the vote. The Republican Party has long opposed changing the constitution that was imposed by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.