President Sebastian Pinera faced new protests on Monday after he replaced eight ...
Members of a first aid team and a photographer take cover during an anti-government protest in Santiago, Chile October 28, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero
On Monday Pinera sacked interior minister Andres Chadwick, his cousin and longtime confidant who came under fire last week for calling protesters “criminals.” He replaced Chadwick, a right-wing politician, with Gonzalo Blumel, a 41-year-old presidency minister and liaison with the legislature. The shake-up followed a week of riots, arson and protests over inequality that left at least 17 dead. Thousands were arrested and Chilean businesses lost $1.4 billion. With Pinera’s popularity at an all-time low, Chileans were calling for new protests and the United Nations was sending a team to investigate allegations of human rights abuses.
Chile, the world’s top copper producer, has long boasted one of Latin America’s most prosperous and stable economies, with low levels of poverty and unemployment. The protesters do not have any one leader or spokesperson. Chile’s fractured opposition parties have supported the demonstrations but have not led them.
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