Approve and Reject are likely to be victorious. The polls and their trends indicate that either option can win. Unlike a normal election, the success of a democratic constituent process is played, in part, in ensuring conditions that favor the political deliberation of a country. It is in this aspect that the constitution must be everyone's house.

Political deliberation is a cornerstone of our unfolding as a society. It allows us to understand ourselves as moral agents capable of processing our political disagreements peacefully. The Convention's proposal, in this sense, requires passing the test of political deliberation. This analysis has at least three aspects.

The first is the origin. If it wins, it must do so by a wide margin.by a wide margin. Lhe Constitution can no longer be a matter of dispute. We must move toward arguing "from" the Constitution, and stop arguing "about" it. For this to happen, the Approval cannot win narrowly in the exit plebiscite. It is the only way for us to deliberate on the most appropriate means to solve our problems without permanently questioning the basis of the agreements.

The second dimension is the political system offered by the proposed Constitution. In order to have a healthy and efficient political system, which provides real conditions for political deliberation, a coherent vision on this matter is necessary. Unfortunately, the political system of the proposal does not help to achieve this goal. The attenuated presidentialism with an asymmetrical bicameralism (an in+edited anomaly), the weak regulation of political parties, and a superficial reference to the electoral system, instead of fostering discussion, consolidate fragmentation.

The last dimension is the political climate. The approval of the new Constitution will probably bring an unfruitful dialogue, polarizing us even more than the text itself. The moderate sectors will probably pass to the bench, and the extremes of the political spectrum will become the protagonists of a merciless dispute between them. Thus, the spirit of reaching transversal agreements, majority vocation and a long-term view will give way to declarations that seek to annul the adversaries. The Communist Party will assert its logic of advancing without compromising, and the right wing "without complexes" will displace "those in dialogue", confirming itself in its all or nothing logic.

If there is something that a country with as many wounds and open flanks as Chile does not need, it is for politics to be transformed into a deaf war between purist poles. Our generation must show signs of learning about Chile's recent past. For that, we must favor everything that helps us and teaches us to discuss in order to process our disagreements peacefully. Without these conditions for political deliberation, we will hardly be able to move forward. 

Column by Cristián Stewart, Executive Director of IdeaPaís, published by La Segunda in the August 18, 2022 edition.

Image: IdeaPaís