In a decision charged with symbolism and reflecting the spirit of the new Constituent Convention inaugurated this Sunday in Chile, Elisa Loncón was elected president of the body that is to draft a new Constitution.
The 155 members of the Constituent Assembly elected this Sunday Loncón, a 58-year-old indigenous woman, to preside over the body that will create the new Magna Carta, which is to replace the current one, inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990).
Loncón, a teacher, linguist and Mapuche activist - the majority indigenous ethnic group in Chile - was elected by an absolute majority (96 votes) in the second round at the inaugural session of the Convention, which was halted for almost an hour by a group of constituents protesting after clashes in downtown Santiago between police and demonstrators.
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