Boric renews the political core of his government after the harsh setback of the plebiscite

In what he considered a difficult but necessary move, Chilean President Gabriel Boric formalized his first cabinet reform, after only six months in office and in response to the resounding setback suffered in the constitutional plebiscite held last Sunday.

Although the president had already been considering changes in his government, the broad victory of the rejection of the proposal for a new Constitution accelerated the process. In this profound restructuring, Boric dispensed with some members of his hard core to make room for representatives of the traditional center-left, responding to the demands of the more moderate sectors of the presidential coalition.

The two most important outgoing figures are the Minister of the Interior, Izkia Siches, and the Secretary of the Presidency, Giorgio Jackson, who have shared political militancy with Boric since his time as a student leader and are part of the closest circle of the head of state.

Their replacements, Carolina Tohá and Ana Lya Uriarte respectively, are two leaders with extensive political experience, who were trained at the time of the democratic transition after the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet.

The rest of the changes include the Social Development, Health, Energy and Science portfolios.

“Cabinet changes are always dramatic, and this one has not lacked its dose,” Boric confessed, adding that “it hurts, but it is necessary.” “It is perhaps one of the most difficult moments, politically, that I have had to face, and we will carry it out, together, for the Chilean men and women,” he added.

In his speech, the leftist president promised to address the “urgencies” of the Chilean population, among which he mentioned security, the high cost of living and access to housing.

At the same time, he confirmed that he will not take “one step back” in his program of “change, of transformation” because it is “the mandate” that led him to La Moneda.

“That is what I ask of this new cabinet. Humility to listen and understand, conviction to firmly defend the process of change, which is the profound reason why we are here,” he said.

Who are Boric’s new ministers?

In the Ministry of the Interior, Izkia Siches spent six turbulent months, which took her from being the first woman to hold the position and being considered a figure of great projection, to being involved in controversies due to failed statements about the conflict in La Araucanía and about the alleged return of a plane with expelled migrants during the term of Sebastián Piñera.

His replacement is taken by Carolina Tohá, a former official in the efforts of Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet and mayor of Santiago, the country’s capital, between 2012 and 2016. She reaches the same position that her father, Jose Tohá, later imprisoned by the Pinochet dictatorship.

Meanwhile, Ana Lya Uriarte, a long-standing socialist and former chief of staff in Bachelet’s second term, assumes the secretariat of the Presidency, a position that coordinates relations with Congress and will have the difficult mission of drawing up a roadmap for a new constituent process.

From that portfolio comes Jackson, Boric’s right-hand man but worn out by the Approval defeat and some questions in handling his ties with Parliament. He remains in the government as Minister of Social Development (a vacant space since the resignation of Jeanette Vega in August), but he is moving away from the president’s small table.

In the renovation, there was also room for a reverse gear. The Chilean government announced the appointment of Nicolás Cataldo, a former student leader linked to the Communist Party, as the new Undersecretary of the Interior. However, the disclosure of messages published on their social networks in 2011 with strong criticism and accusations against the military aroused a wave of questioning from the opposition and the public. Hence, minutes later, the continuity of Manuel Monsalve in the position was confirmed.

The communist wing was thus left without ‘number 2’ in the Interior, but its participation in decision-making is reinforced with the incorporation of the Minister of Labor, Jeanette Jara, to the Political Committee. That body, to which Tohá and Uriarte are added, is now made up of 5 women and the Minister of Finance, Mario Marcel, as the only man.

The ministerial adjustment was completed with the arrival of Ximena Aguilera to Salud, replacing María Begoña Yarza; Diego Pardow takes over from Claudio Huepe in Energy; and Silvia Díaz assumes in Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation instead of Flavio Salazar.

Student protests for the new Constitution

Before the announcement of the cabinet changes, a group of high school students gathered in the Alameda, the main avenue in Santiago, to reiterate their support for a new Constitution, after the victory of Rejection in Sunday’s plebiscite.

With chants such as “and the Pinochet Constitution is going to fall”, about a thousand students mobilized through the center of Santiago to the vicinity of the presidential palace, before clashing with the security forces.

These demonstrations were suppressed by the Carabineros, who launched water jets and tear gas. In addition, the Chilean police force confirmed the arrest of six protesters.

After the defeat of the Approval, Boric promised to start a new constituent process to seek a new Magna Carta proposal and invited the political parties to a meeting in La Moneda on Tuesday.

With EFE and local media