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Chile protests: Government bows to demands for referendum | |
(about 2 hours later) | |
Chile has announced it will hold a referendum on the country's constitution following weeks of anti-government protests. | |
Protesters are demanding social reforms and a change to the constitution which dates back to the pre-democracy era of the military leader, Augusto Pinochet. | |
The vote will take place in April. | |
At least 20 people have died and about 1,000 have been injured in protests that started over a hike in subway fares. | |
The "Agreement for Peace and a New Constitution" was signed at midnight following long negotiations. | |
The referendum will ask voters if they want the constitution to be replaced. | |
It will also ask voters who think it should be replaced to choose between three different bodies to draw up a new constitution. The options are a body of fully elected representatives, political appointees or an equal mix of both. | It will also ask voters who think it should be replaced to choose between three different bodies to draw up a new constitution. The options are a body of fully elected representatives, political appointees or an equal mix of both. |
The current constitution does not currently establish the state's responsibility to provide healthcare and education, which are two demands from the protesters. | |
Chile has been rocked by unrest over the past month with riots, arson and looting. | |
The country's independent National Human Rights Institute says it has brought legal action over 179 cases, including alleged murders, sexual violence and torture by the military police. | |
On Thursday, Chilean singer Mon Laferte bared her breasts in a red carpet protest at the Latin Grammy awards in the US. | |
She walked the red carpet and uncovered her chest emblazoned with the words "In Chile they torture, rape and kill". | |
Mon Laferte was one of several artists at the Latin Grammys who spoke about the current political climate in Latin American countries. |