Chile's latest steps towards true democracy are a beacon for the world | Kirsten Sehnbruch

Hopes are high that the overwhelming vote to overturn the Pinochet-era constitution marks the beginning of a new era

On Sunday, Chileans voted overwhelmingly in favour of establishing a new constitution. After one year of almost continuous social and violent protests, the country erupted upon hearing the news with the kind of jubilant parties and street celebrations that were last seen when a 1989 plebiscite put an end to the 17-year dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

Chile's current constitution was written by Pinochet's adviser and rightwing ideologue Jaime Guzman, and was approved at the time by a rigged referendum. When Chile subsequently became a democracy in 1990, authoritarian principles enshrined in this constitution constrained the country's process of democratisation and imposed a neoliberal model of economic development. The constitution had allowed Pinochet to nominate senators, established a voting system that initially overrepresented the political right, and required supermajorities for reforming institutions such as the armed forces and education system.