A Strategic Reassignment
President José Antonio Kast has decided to keep Andrés Jouannet within the executive branch following his departure from the Undersecretariat of Public Security. The move, intended to temper the political fallout from his removal, will see the Amarillos leader join the 'Segundo Piso'—the presidential advisory office at La Moneda—to work alongside the team led by chief of staff Alejandro Irarrázaval.
The departure of both Jouannet and the Undersecretary of Crime Prevention, Ana Victoria Quintana, was announced Tuesday by Security Minister Martín Arrau. Sources confirmed to Radio Bío Bío that Jouannet would be moving to the Presidential Palace, a decision the President communicated to him personally during a private meeting at 11:45 a.m. that same day.
During the meeting, the President explained that the changes were necessary to allow Minister Arrau to assemble a team he trusts implicitly to manage one of the administration's most sensitive portfolios. Kast emphasized that the departure from the ministry should not be viewed as a political falling out, praising the work Jouannet had done in previous months. In his new role, the former undersecretary will focus on monitoring migration policy.
Political Fallout and Local Tensions
When questioned by the press at Congress, Minister Arrau confirmed Jouannet’s continued role in the government, though he ruled out the possibility of him serving as commissioner for the Macrozona Sur. Regarding the vacancy left by Quintana, the minister declined to provide further details, noting that new appointments are a presidential prerogative and that he expects them to be announced "in the coming hours."
The decision to remove both undersecretaries, attributed directly to President Kast, has drawn mixed reactions across the political spectrum. While some sectors supported the move, other members of the ruling coalition accused the Republican Party of attempting to "monopolize" the security agenda, fueling tensions with allies such as National Renewal and the Democrats.
Simultaneously, the executive branch is facing friction with local governments. During the "National Summit of Mayors for Democracy" held in the Coquimbo Region, center-left and progressive municipal leaders criticized the impact of the "mega-reform" pushed by La Moneda. According to a report presented at the summit, changes to the property tax system and the Municipal Common Fund could threaten the financial stability of local governments.
Mayors warned that these centralized decisions, which had already been challenged by the Chilean Association of Municipalities (AChM), directly impact the delivery of essential services like healthcare and education. The report argues that the debate goes beyond mere budgetary issues, affecting territorial autonomy and the daily lives of citizens, posing an additional challenge for the Kast administration following his first State of the Nation address.
