Celebrations across Chile as the country votes to rid itself of its dictatorship-era constitution

Wild celebrations have been seen across Chile after the country voted to rid itself of its dictatorship-era constitution left behind by Augusto Pinochet's regime.

The result sparked celebrations across the capital and other cities after voters threw out the constitution left by the regime of 1973-1990 dictator Augusto Pinochet.

'Such a strong vote in favour of the constitutional convention should be read as a rejection of the political parties, which to a large extent have been administrators of Pinochet's Constitution, of the regime we inherited from him,' Mella told AFP.Earlier, in long, orderly lines across Santiago and in cities around the country, masked voters shuffled patiently towards polling stations to participate in the historic referendum.

Augusto Pinochet: Chile's dictator put in-place by a U.S.-backed coup d'état Augusto Pinochet's rule of Chile spanned 17 years - from 1973 to 1990 - after he had risen through the ranks of the Chilean Army to become general chief of staff in the early months on 1972.On August 23 1973, Pinochet was appointed Commander-in-Chief by then-president Salvador Allende.

Just weeks later, on September 11 1973, Pinochet seized power in Chile in a U.S.-back coup d'etat that overthrew Allende's democratically elected Unidad Popular government and ended civilian rule.

Pinochet ruled Chile first as the president of the Military Junta of Chile, but in December 1974, the ruling military junta appointed Pinochet Supreme Head of the nation by joint decree.

There, a Chilean judge ruled that Pinochet was medically fit to stand trial and placed him under house arrest in 2004.By the time of his death on 10 December 2006, about 300 criminal charges were still pending against him in Chile for numerous human rights violations.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8879417/Celebrations-Chile-country-votes-rid-dictatorship-era-constitution.html