Demonstrators protest against President of Chile Sebastian Piñera during his announcement of changes in his cabinet at Palacio de La Moneda on October 28, 2019. |
By Ana Melgar Zuniga, SANTIAGO Chile
Chilean President Sebastian
Pinera replaced his Cabinet Monday following days of violent protests that have paralyzed the country, seen the military return to the
streets, and led to the deaths of at least 20 people.
According
to Pinera's official Twitter account, the purpose of the change was to allow
for open dialogue and justice in an attempt to solve the biggest political
crisis since the country's transition to democracy in 1990. The move comes two
days after the President asked all of his ministers to resign.
Pinera
replaced eight key members of his Cabinet, including the Ministers of Interior,
Finance and Labor, as well as the Secretariat of the Presidency, which is akin
to the Chief of Staff.
Despite
the reshuffle, thousands of protesters returned to the streets of the Chilean
capital Monday, calling for Pinera's resignation and clashing with security
forces in violent street battles.
A fire
broke out on the corner of a main street in Santiago, engulfing clothing
stores, a McDonald's and a medical center, according to CNN Chile. Police have
responded by firing tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons.
Government
spokeswoman Karla Rubilar said in a televised address Monday evening that
"people are tired of this violence and chaos."
"How
is this destruction helping to make the country better?" she said.
Pinera
has called the protesters' demands "legitimate" in a country that has
among the highest levels of income inequality in the world.
Demonstrators
protest against President of Chile Sebastian Piñera during his announcenment of
changes in his cabinet at Palacio de La Moneda on October 28, 2019.
The
president has promised social and economic reforms to tackle
issues at the heart of the unrest, including pension raises, affordable medical
insurance, lowering the prices of medicines and stabilizing electricity prices.
On
Thursday, Pinera announced a cancellation of energy price hikes that would have
affected "almost 7 million Chilean households," he said.
But many
demonstrators see his efforts as too little, too late and they continue to turn out in their hundreds of thousands.
On
Monday, protesters held a vigil for those who have died during the unrest.
Images show a fountain in front of the Tribunal de Justicia dyed red to
represent blood as two women light candles.
Chile's
Interior Minister's Office raised the death toll to 20 over the weekend. In a
statement, the new toll includes a burned body discovered inside a supermarket
that was set on fire on October 24 in Maipu, a commune of Santiago.
The
protests initially began over a now-suspended price hike for subway tickets in
Santiago but have since expanded, revealing anger among ordinary Chileans who
feel they have been excluded from the nation's economic rise.
Many are
frustrated over economic inequalities, living costs, rising debt and corruption
in a country that remains among the most prosperous and stable in Latin
America.
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