Protests erupt in Chile on eve of lawmaker vote to allow pension withdrawal

SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Protesters in Santiago defied a citywide lockdown meant to combat the spread of the coronavirus, barricading roads and looting early into the morning on Wednesday in support of a proposal to allow Chileans to withdraw part of their pensions amid the crisis.

The unrest comes just hours before debate begins anew over the bill, which would grant citizens access to 10% of their retirement savings under Chile's Pension Fund Administrators (AFP) system. A similar plan for a 25% drawdown was approved in Peru in April.