Voters in Chile have rejected a draft constitution by a 62%-38% margin.

“This democratic exercise has been positive for the country and is a good start to leave behind the polarization that is taking place, so that the various branches of the state can continue to work in order to restore peace, said Archbishop Fernando Chomalí of Concepción, vice president of the bishops’ conference.

Civil strife preceded the vote, and Chile’s bishops called for an end to the violence.

In a 2020 plebiscite, Chilean voters overwhelmingly approved the drafting of a new constitution to replace the 1980 constitution approved under Augusto Pinochet’s military regime. Before the recent vote, the bishops praised the draft constitution’s provisions on the environment and indigenous peoples, and criticized its provisions on abortion, euthanasia, religious freedom, and parental rights in education.