Voters in Chile return to the polls again on Sunday in the country's second constitutional referendum. Voting starts at 8 a.m. local time (1100GMT) and closes at 6 p.m. (2100 GMT), with results due a few hours later.

This is the second time in as many years that Chile has held a vote to replace its current text, a promise born after large-scale, passionate and sometimes violent protests against inequality gripped the nation in 2019.

The first assembly elected to draft a new text was dominated by leftwing forces but their draft, which focused on social, indigenous, environmental and gender rights, was overwhelmingly rejected by voters last September. The electorate swung right for the second draft and voters elected an assembly dominated by conservative parties.

That second text is considered to be more conservative and market-friendly than the 1980 constitution it could replace. The proposed version places private property rights and strict rules around immigration and abortion at its center.

(Cover: A soldier stands guard at a polling station at the National Stadium, a day ahead of an election on whether to approve a new constitution, in Santiago, Chile, December 16, 2023. /CFP) 

(With input from agencies)