The Araucanian referendum: the opportunistic use of direct democracy mechanisms
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1344/ACS2022.13.6Keywords:
direct democracy, representation, Mapuche conflictAbstract
The mechanisms of direct democracy have increased their presence throughout the world. Along with the benefits that citizen participation entails, these mechanisms have reopened the possibility of using elections for mobilizing purposes. This article reviews the opportunistic use of the Araucanian referendum, carried out in southern Chile in 2021. This citizen consultation asked about a possible extension of the militarization in the context of the conflict between the Chilean state and the Mapuche people. From a statistical analysis, our work shows that the referendum did not represent the region's preferences but rather mobilized a part of it based on a particular objective. Its results, however, were interpreted from the rhetoric of representation with political ends.
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Copyright (c) 2022 Alejandro Corvalan, Elisa Durán Micco
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