Undersecretary Gloria de la Fuente initiates abroad voting for the Constitutional Plebiscite 2023

With the opening of the polling stations in the New Zealand cities of Auckland and Wellington, the voting of Chilean men and women abroad for the Constitutional Plebiscite 2023 began.

From the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the Undersecretary Gloria de la Fuente, held a telematic conversation with Consul María Alejandra Farías, who presides the Electoral Board in New Zealand and who went to Auckland to coordinate the process, and with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Chile in that country and Secretary of the Electoral Board, Juan Enrique Loyer, who was stationed in Wellington.

On the occasion, she was accompanied by the president of the Directive Board of the Electoral Service (Servel), Andrés Tagle; the national director of the Servel, Raúl García; the secretary-rapporteur of the Tribunal Calificador de Elecciones, Carmen Gloria Valladares; the general director of Consular Affairs, Immigration and Chileans Abroad, Ambassador Rodrigo Donoso, and the head of the Division for the Community of Chileans Abroad, Fernando Salas.

The Undersecretary informed that this time there will be 127,552 Chileans who will be able to vote abroad, which represents an increase of 31% with respect to the 2022 referendum. The figure also shows an increase of 225% in relation to the first election with overseas voting, developed in 2017. "This clearly shows a very relevant interest of Chileans living abroad to participate in electoral processes," said the authority.

"This is the third plebiscite and the ninth election to be held with votes of Chileans abroad", the Undersecretary pointed out. She also noted that the implementation of the suffrage abroad is an effort that involves more than 450 officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and that, in total, 119 polling stations will be set up with 347 polling centers. Likewise, she indicated that 1,041 vocals and 119 electoral delegates will perform functions abroad to ensure the correct development of the process, which will be carried out in 65 countries.

"This has been a months long work. Here in this polling center there are 1,957 people qualified to vote, which means 76% more in comparison to the last election we had last year", said Consul María Alejandra Farías from Auckland.

"In Wellington practically everything is working. The polling stations are installed and people are already voting, so everything is developing normally", Juan Enrique Loyer complemented, adding that in that city the electoral roll grew by 30% compared to last year.

"We are especially grateful for all the efforts made by the Chancellery, and also remember the efforts of the PDI in the transfer and custody, so that the election abroad is possible", expressed the president of the Board of Directors of the Servel, Andrés Tagle.

"I would like to point out to the voters who vote abroad and also in Chile, that they have the peace of mind that they can exercise their vote in an absolutely sovereign manner", declared, on the other hand, the secretary-rapporteur of the Tribunal Calificador de Elecciones, Carmen Gloria Valladares.