The President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, announced changes to her Cabinet ministers in a ceremony at La Moneda Palace.
She explained that “over the last 14 months my team of 23 ministers has worked tirelessly to serve the public, pushing ahead with the changes we promised and responding swiftly to the natural disasters that have devastated our nation and our people in recent months.” She added “I know that each of you has given your best and because of this, Chileans know that we fulfill what we promise, even in the face of adversity.”
President Bachelet highlighted that in the first 100 days of Government her team of ministers had implemented 56 priority measures and enacted 123 bills, including major initiatives such as the tax reform, the end to the binomial system and the education inclusion bill.
“It is now time to give new impetus to the work of the Government; this new, inspiring and demanding phase requires renewed energies and new faces to take on the tasks that we have promised the country and that the public demand from us. Therefore I have decided to appoint a new ministerial team”, she explained.
President Bachelet named Jorge Burgos as Interior and Public Security Minister; Rodrigo Valdés as Treasury Minister; Jorge Insunza as Minister Secretary General of the Presidency; Marcelo Díaz as Minister Secretary General of the Government; Marcos Barraza as Social Development Minister and Ernesto Ottone as Culture and Arts Minister.
She also appointed José Antonio Gómez as Defense Minister; Javiera Blanco, as Justice Minister and Ximena Rincón as Employment Minister.
President Bachelet took the opportunity to thank her outgoing ministers for their work: Rodrigo Peñailillo, Alberto Arenas, Álvaro Elizalde, Fernanda Villegas and Claudia Barattini. “I would like to express my deepest and sincerest gratitude. I know that history will look back on this first year of our government and the steps we have taken and it will be seen as a turning point towards a more equal and civic society. A society with greater wellbeing and opportunities and a more democratic and transparent nation. You can take pride in knowing that you played a key part in this achievement”, she said.
In her closing remarks President Bachelet appealed to her new ministers: “I call on each of you in your ministries to focus on people’s concrete needs, to communicate our initiatives clearly, to act in a way that our citizens deserve, honoring the transparency and probity they demand from us. We are here to serve Chile, our beloved nation, and to build the foundations for a better future for everyone.”
New ministers
Rodrigo Valdés Pulido is a business administration graduate from the Universidad de Chile with a doctorate in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a member of the Party for Democracy (Partido por la Democracia or PPD).
Before joining the Cabinet he was chairman of the BancoEstado. He has worked as a consultant at the International Monetary Fund and the Inter-American Development Bank. He has lectured at the Universidad de Chile and the Universidad de Santiago and has published numerous academic and economic policy papers.
Marcelo Díaz Díaz is a law graduate from the Universidad La República where he also worked as professor of International Public Law. He has a doctorate in political science and sociology, specializing in international relations, from the Universidad Complutense in Madrid. He is a member of the Socialist Party (Partido Socialista or PS) and has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies. Prior to his appointment he was the Chilean Ambassador in Argentina.
Jorge Insunza Gregorio de Las Heras is a law graduate from the Universidad Diego Portales. He was deputy leader of the Party for Democracy (PPD) between 2008-2010 and 2010-2012, under the leadership of Pepe Auth and Carolina Tohá. He was founding director of Sistema Consultores and Strategic Communication Manager at Imaginacción. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies as the representative for District 28 (San Miguel, Pedro Aguirre Cerda and Lo Espejo) for the 2006-2010 period and is currently the representative for District 9 (Los Vilos, Illapel, Salamanca, Canela, Combarbalá, Punitaqui and Monte Patria).
Marcos Patricio Barraza Gómez is a psychology graduate from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile and has a degree in science and humanities from the Universidad de Santiago de Chile (USACH). From 2014 to 2015 he was the Employment and Social Welfare Undersecretary and vice-president of the Ibero-American Social Security Organization for the Southern Cone (Organización Iberoamericana de Seguridad Social or OISS). He is a member of the Communist Party (Partido Comunista or PC).
Ernesto Ottone Ramírez is an arts and theater graduate with a Masters in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy. He is an independent politician. Before joining the Cabinet he was director of the Universidad de Chile’s Arts and Cultural Extension Center (Centro de Extensión Artística y Cultural or CEAC). The CEAC is the institution responsible for the Chilean Symphonic Orchestra, the Chilean National Ballet, the Universidad de Chile Symphonic Choir and Vocal Camerata, the Andrés Bello Quarter and the Universidad de Chile Theater.