Expert Commission

Following the rejection of the initial text proposed by the first constituent assembly in a referendum on September 4, 2022, representatives of all political parties in the country came together in the National Congress on September 12 to establish a negotiation table. However, some parties, such as the Republican Party and the Party of the People, withdrew from the negotiation process.

The discussion mainly revolved around the composition of the potential new assembly.[3] The opposition, which had supported the rejection of the constitutional proposal, preferred a body that was either fully or partially appointed by the Congress, whereas the government coalition and ruling parties wanted an assembly similar to the one in 2021. This difference of opinion caused repeated blockages in the negotiations, almost leading to their collapse in December, primarily because of one party's desire to create a council of experts.[4]

The parties that refused to participate in the negotiations created a temporary parallel entity that proposed a new type of constitutional process to determine if citizens still wanted a new Constitution.[5][6]

After three months of negotiations, a document was drafted on December 12 that established the content bases and the work of three different bodies for the drafting of a new Constitution. This document was presented as the "Agreement for Chile" by the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.[7] The President of the Senate announced that the project drafted by the experts would serve as a "contribution" to the discussion of the elected constitutional council.[8]

On March 6, 2023, the Commission of Experts was inaugurated at the Palace of the former National Congress of Chile. The inaugural session was chaired by Hernán Larraín, the 75-year-old dean of the commissioners. After the session, the Commission elected its president and vice-president, with the president elected by a majority vote and the vice-president by the second highest number of votes. In the event of a tie, a procedure would have been established to distinguish between the two highest majorities.[9]

The primary objective of the commission is to create a preliminary draft[10] of a new Constitution for discussion by the 50 members of the Constitutional Council, beginning on June 7.[11][12] Following the Assembly's establishment in June, the commissioners will join and be able to attend sessions and commissions, and have the right to speak, but not vote.[13]

The Commission of Experts will be subdivided into four commissions, with each composed of at least six commissioners, to aid in the development of the Constitution project. These four commissions are focused on different areas, including the Political system, constitutional reform, and form of the State; Jurisdictional function and autonomous bodies; Principles, civil and political rights; and Economic, social, cultural, and environmental rights.[14]

For each commission to convene, an absolute majority of its members must be present, and agreements will require the support of at least three-fifths of its members. In addition, the plenary session of the Commission of Experts cannot take place unless at least one-third of its members are present. Finally, any regulations included in the project must be approved by a quorum of at least three-fifths of the members.[15]

The Commission consists of 24 commissioners appointed by the National Congress, with half selected by the Chamber of Deputies and the remaining half by the Senate. The appointments were subject to approval by four-sevenths of the members in their respective chambers.[16][17]

Parliamentary groups

Coalition/Party				Members
	Chile Vamos		National Renewal	5
			Independent Democratic Union	4
			Evópoli	1
	Democratic Socialism		Socialist Party	3
			Party for Democracy	2
			Liberal Party	1
	Approve Dignity		Communist Party	1
			Social Convergence	1
			Democratic Revolution	1
			Social Green Regionalist Federation	1
	Christian Democratic Party			2
	Republican Party			1
	Independent (supported by RN, PdG and Yellows)			1

On March 6, 2023, during the commission's installation, the 24 experts unanimously named Verónica Undurraga as president and Sebastián Soto as vice president, without requiring a vote.[18]

Office	Name		Political group
President		Verónica Undurraga		Party for Democracy
Vice-president		Sebastián Soto		Evópoli

• Official website