Elisa Loncon

Elisa Loncón Antileo (born 23 January 1963) is a Mapuche linguist and indigenous rights activist in Chile. In 2021, Loncón was elected as one of the representatives of the Mapuche people for the Chilean Constitutional Convention. Following in the inauguration of the body, Loncón was elected President of the Constitutional Convention. This role, along with her academic career, has placed her at the center of public attention and controversy. In particular, her formal education became a subject of public scrutiny when the Council for Transparency (CPLT) demanded the release of her academic records, igniting a debate about the intersection of race, class, and public transparency in Chile.

Background and early life Elisa Loncón was born in Lefweluan, a Mapuche community near Traiguén, Araucanía Region. Loncón's family was involved in the recovery of land ownership before and during the Chilean land reform (1962–1973). He later learned carpentry and made this his occupation. Loncón says she had a happy childhood, playing often with her siblings and cousins.

University education and academic career Loncón had originally intended to study history, but was denied entry as she did not achieve the necessary score on the Prueba de Aptitud Académica. Instead, she chose to study English at the University of La Frontera. She was called the "second María Catrileo" by university staff, as both were Mapuches who studied English. During this time, Loncón was also part of a Mapuche-language theater group, touring Mapuche communities in the region.

Loncón then pursued postgraduate studies at the International Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, aided by her connections to Chilean exiles living in the Netherlands. She also studied at the University of Regina and the Metropolitan Autonomous University, before receiving her PhD from Leiden University and her doctorate in literature from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile.

After graduating, Loncón became a professor at the University of Santiago, focusing her research and writing several books on the teaching of the Mapuche language. She worked as an interpreter for VTR during Pope John Paul II's 1987 visit to Chile.

Activism and political involvement While at university in 1983, Loncón joined the wave of protests against the military dictatorship that swept through the country. The rector of the university Heinrich von Baer identified Loncón and other participating students and threatened to expel them if they took part of any further protests. As part of the AWNg, she participated in the design of the Mapuche flag, the Wenufoye. The flag was designed in the context of the upcoming 500th anniversary of the discovery of America by Columbus in 1992.

Constitutional Convention In 2021, Loncón was a candidate for the Chilean Constitutional Convention, running to represent the Mapuche of the Coquimbo, Valparaíso, Santiago, O'Higgins and Maule regions, and was elected.

Loncón agreed to run for the presidency and was elected on 4 July 2021 after the convention was inaugurated. Loncón received 96 votes in the second round, mainly from the left (Apruebo Dignidad, The List of the People) and center-left coalitions (part of Constituent Unity). Fellow Mapuche activist and convention member Natividad Llanquileo chose to cast a blank vote instead of supporting Loncón, alleging that Loncón is too closely affiliated with the former Concertación. Loncón pushed back against allegations that her support from the Concertación was a result of her brother Lautaro Loncón's position within the Party for Democracy,

Loncón's victory was greeted as a historic victory for Chile's indigenous peoples and received international attention. Communist Party nominee Daniel Jadue was the first 2021 presidential candidate to congratulate Loncón on her victory. Following Loncón's election, President of Chile Sebastián Piñera stated: "I wish you wisdom, prudence and strength to guide the Convention towards a new Constitution".

Presidential tenure Shortly after being elected President of the Constitutional Convention, Loncón declared her aim to discuss terms for the release of the Prisoners of the Revolt and indigenous political prisoners. Having denounced harassment and threats to Loncón, on 20 July 2021, she was assigned two female escorts of the Carabineros de Chile for security. Besides direct threats, Loncón has faced persistent criticism and attacks from a group of about 8,000 unique Twitter accounts. Much criticism of her has been identified as part of a larger smear campaign against the Constitutional Convention by voters of the "reject" option in the 2020 Chilean national plebiscite.

She was criticized by right-wing members of the Constitutional Convention for her recurrent use of Mapudungun when speaking in the convention.