Chile: "It is necessary to promote Christian values in the new Fundamental Charter".Chile: triumph for religious freedomOn November 23, Chile's Chamber of Deputies approved the "equal marriage" bill, which would allow same-sex couples to enter into this type of civil union on equal terms with heterosexual couples. The Senate had already approved it last July. It should be promulgated by the President of the Republic within 90 days. Various political and Christian sectors have criticized President Sebastián Piñera for having given urgency to this project, which was not included in his government program.
A week later, on November 30, the same Chamber rejected the bill for free abortion up to the 14th week of pregnancy. With this result, the same bill cannot be reintroduced within a year.
On November 16, presidential and parliamentary elections were held in the country. A total of 47.3 % of Chileans over 18 years of age voted. Five candidates competed. First place went to the right-wing candidate José Antonio Kast (27.9 %), second place to Gabriel Boric representing the extreme left and supported by the communists (25.8 %); the big surprise came from Franco Parisi of the People's Party (12.8 %) who had not been in the country in recent months; Sebastián Sichel of the liberal right obtained 12.8 %; he was followed by Yasna Provoste (11.6 %) of the Christian Democracy, a center-left party, and two other candidates with lower votes.
The presidential runoff will be held on December 19. Kast (55 years old), leader of the Republican Party, supported by center-right parties, is strongly pro-life and a defender of heterosexual marriage. Boric (35 years old), representative of the Frente Amplio, supported by left and extreme left parties, although he is in favor of free abortion, was absent on the day of the vote in Parliament; he voted in favor of homosexual "marriage". There is great uncertainty about the outcome of the ballot.
