Santiago de Chile, November 15 (RHC)-- The Chilean parliament agreed early Friday morning to hold a plebiscite for a new Constitution.  According to the agreement, once the new Magna Carta has been drafted, it will be submitted for ratification in a referendum.

It is uncertain whether this agreement will stop ongoing protests in Chile, which have lasted nearly one month and claimed the lives of more than 20 people.  

The president of the Chilean Senate, Jaime Quintana (PPD), confirmed that the legislators of the political parties agreed to advance the drafting of a Constitution.  He said that the popular consultation would take place in April next year, which many believe is too long of a wait. 

There were three positions: a Constitutional Convention, which was the idea of ​​the Chile Vamos coalition, made up of right-wing parties; a Constituent Congress, a mechanism proposed by the Piñera administration; and a Constituent Assembly, supported by the Broad Front and the Communist Party of Chile, and supported by the opposition and the vast majority of the people.

While the government has agreed to initiate a constitutional process, a major point of disagreement between the currents is the level of citizen participation and the timing of the process.