An indigenous woman was appointed the head of the Chilean convention that will draft a new Constitution

The 155-member Chilean constitutional convention, which will have a maximum of 365 days to draft a new Constitution, has been installed this Sunday in Chile and has elected as president an indigenous Mapuche woman, the 58-year-old academic Elisa Loncón.

It is a political signal towards women, in an assembly with gender parity: 77 women and 78 men, thanks to the push of the feminist movement. But above all, this is a huge win for native peoples, who were always excluded from all major decisions of the State, and have had a historic struggle for years over lands in the south.

The new leader of the convention, hailing from a poor community in Araucanía, expressed appreciation for her appointment by holding a Mapuche flag in her hands and saying the first words of her address in that community's language, Mapudungún.

The leader of the convention assured that the body she will preside "will transform Chile into a plurinational, intercultural country" and called for the care of "Mother Earth and Waters", some of the main demands sought by the native peoples.