CHILE: PRESIDENT MICHELLE BACHELET SHUFFLES THREE CABINET MINISTERS.
Four months into her term, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has replaced three ministers in her Cabinet. Facing a steep drop in popularity numbers and accusations that her Cabinet was inexperienced and improvising its policies excessively, Bachelet removed her ministers of the interior, economy and education on July 14.
Student protests oust education minister
Possibly the most foreseeable of the three replacements was the removal of Education Minister Martin Zilic, who found himself at the center of a political storm as nationwide student protests brought the country's education system to a halt (see NotiSur, 2006-06-23) shortly after taking office. The protests shut down Chile's school system in May and June as almost one million students took to the streets to demand greater federal support for education, forcing Zilic and the president to make US$200 million in concessions to student demands. The resulting chaos and street violence that were a part of the largest student protests in 30 years immediately tainted Zilic's image among much of the Chilean public. Yasna Provoste, who was planning minister in the final months of former President Ricardo Lagos' (2002-2006) administration, was named to replace Zilic.
In the Interior Ministry, whose head also serves as the political chief of the Cabinet, Belisario Velasco replaced Andres Zaldivar. Velasco was previously a deputy interior minister in the first civilian government after the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990). Alejandro Ferreiro replaced Economy Minister Ingrid Antonijevic.
"We have a new challenge," Bachelet said. "We are entering a new phase in which the central task is to complete the changes we have outlined - achieving a democracy with greater participation by the year 2010, with a consolidated social protection system."
Christian Democrats take one more seat in Cabinet
The move maintained the gender parity Bachelet had said would be a part of her cabinet, while it increased the presence of Democracia Cristiana (DC) party members by one. All three of the replacement ministers were Christian Democrats, while outgoing Antonijevic was a member of the Partido Por la Democracia (PPD). The DC and PPD are important elements in the Concertacion coalition that has held power since 1990.
Some DC members complained about Zaldivar's removal while Antonijevic complained that the leftist PPD had not given her adequate support during her brief tenure. Placating the parties...
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