Chile

On 25 January 2023, the IPU’s Centre for Innovation in Parliament held a webinar as part of the launch of the World e-Parliament Report 2022. The event looked at how the period of “enforced innovation” brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic had affected parliamentary working methods and practices.

In this case study, we look at Virtual Congress, a digital participation and engagement platform used by the National Congress of Chile. Members of the public can use the system to consult, review, and comment and vote on legislative proposals before parliament.

The pandemic caused by the COVID-19 virus has had a significant impact on citizens’ lives, with both economic and social effects. As a result, parliament has had to take drastic and urgent measures to meet the new demands of citizens in this complicated time of pandemic. In mid-March, Chile’s Chamber of Deputies, through its information technology department, had to completely rethink its yearly objectives and plans, the main aim being to ensure the continuity of the day-to-day functions of the Chamber by remote means. The primary focus was on the tasks associated with debates, voting and document management.