The Chamber of Deputies approved the Bill that regulates the vote of Chileans from abroad for presidential primary elections, presidential elections and national plebiscites, in conformity with the constitutional reform which guaranteed this right in 2014.
The initiative, ratified by 107 votes in favor and 1 abstention, regulates the registration of Chileans entitled to suffrage to vote from outside the country and how elections will be conducted from abroad.
"What happened today in the House is a big step, a transcendent step to allow Chileans abroad to exercise their right to vote," said Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Edgardo Riveros. "With this, Chile can perfect one the essential elements of democracy, expanding its electoral universe," he added.
The Under-Secretary emphasized that "once the second constitutional step has concluded in the Senate, we will be able to implement what the Bill establishes, and our consular network will have a very important role, working with Servel (the Electoral Service) who ultimately has the power granted by the Constitution and the law to direct the electoral process."
Regarding the role of the Foreign Ministry in the vote of Chileans from abroad – a project that will now go to its second constitutional stage in the Senate – Under-Secretary Riveros stressed that "our mission is to provide all the elements that allow Chileans outside of the country to access this civil right" and further noted that "the consular network is run all around the world by foreign service professionals, all graduates of the Andrés Bello Diplomatic Academy."