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Today #Chile votes in a once-in-a-lifetime referendum that could make history for women & indigenous peoples, among other groups. A quick thread on why you should care & what you need to know, focusing on why #PlebiscitoChile matters for 
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1/8
Today's ballot has Chileans three Qs: should the country hold a convention to write a new constitution? If so, should it be #ConvencionMixta, where the authors are half citizens + half members of Congress, or a #ConvencionConstituyente, where the authors are all citizens? 2/8
How did Chile get here? Read my explainer piece in @ConversationUS w/ Peter Siavelis. Very short answer: over a year of violent protest re: economic & social injustice --> "Chile shows what frustrated peoples in democracies achieve when they rise up." 3/8 https://theconversation.com/chile-puts-its-constitution-on-the-ballot-after-year-of-civil-unrest-147832
As congress negotiated the referendum, Chilean feminists & congresswomen demanded that citizens rewriting the constitution be half women. They wanted gender parity ( #paridad). Here they are chanting, "we are more than half, we want half the seats." 4/8 https://twitter.com/Dani_Cicardini/status/1204472626766180352
Just 2 women helped write Chile's dictatorship-era Constitution. Chilean women's anger over violence against women, sexual assault, and street harassment has been central to the protests. Some perspective: Chile didn't legalize divorce until 2004. 5/8 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/06/chile-womens-day-protest
Chilean women didn't just win gender parity for the candidates in the #ConvencionConstituyente: they won gender parity for those *elected.* If 50% women don't win, votes are reallocated so that the "worst winning men" get bumped for the "best losing women." This is HUGE. 6/8
Recap: if Chileans choose all-citizens' constitutional convention, Chile becomes the *1st country ever* where half women write the constitution. Will it matter? Read my @UN_Women paper on how women's presence in decision-making changes outcomes. 7/8 https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/csw/65/egm/piscopo_women%20impact_ep13_egmcsw65.pdf?la=en&vs=542
7/8 https://www.unwomen.org/-/media/headquarters/attachments/sections/csw/65/egm/piscopo_women%20impact_ep13_egmcsw65.pdf?la=en&vs=542
The work of Chilean feminists on this issue has been tireless, fearless, and groundbreaking. Follow @javiarce @jujuchi @Caro_Garriga @pfigueroarubio @pamela_poo @Mangeles_HM @reyeshousholder & more from @RedPolitologas. And wherever you are: Protest. Raise your voice. Vote. 8/8.
