Renewing the Political Arena: Social Uprising, Constitutional Change and Chile’s New Government

This article analyses the renewal process of the actors and ideas in Chile’s political arena during the last decade, focusing mainly on the last three years. The 2019 social uprising accelerated this incipient opening of the political arena by igniting a process of constitutional change that is currently underway. The uprising activated previously institutionally marginal actors and social movements and contributed to the victory of the current left-wing Government of Apruebo Dignidad, led by Gabriel Boric. Our analysis shows that the dividing lines between institutional and non-institutional actors are more fluid than usually recognised and that this helps explain the renewal of Chile’s political arena during the last decade.