Kast Government Faces 49 Departures in Six Months: Energy Secretary of Coquimbo Resigns Over Academic Issues

Original article: Gobierno de Kast suma 49 bajas en seis meses:: Solicitan renuncia a seremi de Energía de Coquimbo por no cumplir requisitos académicos

Following the demand for the resignation of Coquimbo’s Energy Secretary, Fabián Páez, the government led by José Antonio Kast has now reached a total of 49 officials who have left their positions in just six months.

According to reports from Emol and El Mostrador, his departure was due to failure to meet the educational requirements necessary for his position, as his university degree was deemed unqualified.

The member of the Democrats had assumed the role on March 30, at which time it was stated that he was a Mining Engineer and had a degree in Technical Professional Education, along with 12 years of experience in teaching and administration.

Additionally, it was revealed that he was currently pursuing studies in Civil Industrial Engineering.

However, sources consulted by Emol indicated that the National Comptroller’s Office rejected his second degree, requiring two years of professional experience for its 10 semesters. Consequently, on Wednesday night, the request for Páez’s resignation was formalized, with the role being temporarily taken over by the current Mining Secretary, Juan Carlos Salinas Marabolí, ensuring the continuity of operations.

This situation marks the second departure of a regional ministerial secretary in Coquimbo, following April’s resignation of Viviana Torres Olivares, who stepped down from her position as Secretary of Labor and Social Security due to not meeting an academic requirement.

«My resignation is due to a technical-administrative aspect identified in the background review, related to the accreditation of the required professional training semesters as mandated by current regulations for this specific role,» Torres explained when announcing her departure just 20 days after being appointed.

Possible Resignation of O’Higgins Economy Secretary Under Review

The number of officials who might have left their posts during the six months of Kast’s government could rise to 50 if the Economy Secretary of O’Higgins, Juan Carlos Meléndez, submits his resignation.

Media outlets such as Diario El Marino and Radio Bravo Rengo reported, based on statements from former regional councilor Lenin Arroyo, that the extreme-right president’s administration has requested the immediate resignation of Meléndez Santelices.

According to Arroyo, this directive was communicated to him on Wednesday, September 16, through the Presidential Delegation, while he received formal notification directly from the Ministry of Economy on Thursday, September 17.

The former councilor suggested that the decision stemmed from a negative evaluation of his performance and the high unemployment rates in the O’Higgins Region. He pointed to sources claiming that Meléndez «did not meet expectations» amid the crisis, noting that La Moneda is looking for officials with greater technical and communication skills to handle such scenarios.

Meléndez was appointed on March 25, after serving as the regional secretary of the Amarillos por Chile party in O’Higgins and running for mayor in San Fernando under the Centro Democrático banner for the 2024 election, receiving only 2% of the votes. During the last presidential elections, he assisted in the campaign of Evelyn Matthei (Chile Vamos).

To date, the Regional Presidential Delegation has not made a statement to confirm or deny Meléndez’s resignation as Secretary of Economy in O’Higgins.

However, this resignation is noted on the independent platform Renuncias Kast, which tracks resignations, removals, job changes, and unfulfilled appointments, continually updating its data based on press releases.

According to the Renuncia Kast platform, in just six months, 40 seremis, three ministers, six undersecretaries, and one presidential delegate have left their positions within the administration of the extreme-right president.

Among the most common reasons for official departures are cases of those who had to resign after testing positive in drug tests, while others failed to meet academic or professional requirements or became embroiled in controversies due to social media posts.