Original article: El Gabinete de Kast y figuras que causan polémica: Jouannet, Silva, Codina, Chomalí y Farías entre los mencionados
Kast’s Key Appointments as President-elect
President-elect José Antonio Kast revealed his first appointments of undersecretaries and presidential delegates on Saturday during a ceremony at the Radisson Hotel in Las Condes.
According to a report by El Mostrador, several of the appointed figures are «familiar faces» to the public. The most prominent is Germán Codina, former mayor of Puente Alto and the new delegate for the Metropolitan Region, who stated: «People come before political differences; people come before parties.»
The report elaborates that many delegates have extensive backgrounds in public service. In regional appointments, Cristián Sayes (Arica and Parinacota), former Seremi of Economy; Adriana Tapia (Tarapacá), former Seremi of Health; and Sofía Cid (Atacama), former deputy, are named. A crucial role goes to former prosecutor Francisco Ljubetic, who will serve as the presidential delegate for La Araucanía. El Mostrador also mentions former intendants, regional councilors, and seremis completing the list of territorial authorities.
Among the undersecretaries, El Mostrador highlights individuals such as Rafael Araos, known for his role during the pandemic in Epidemiology; deputy Andrés Jouannet in Public Security; and Vice Admiral Rodrigo Álvarez in Defense. Several figures from Piñera’s second term are making a return, including architect Emilio de la Cerda to Culture and Andrés Otero to Sports. In Education, Daniel Rodríguez, former executive director of the NGO Acción Educar, will take charge.
Is It a Restoration of Old Politics?
Communicator and analyst Roberto Merken offers a critical reading of the appointments. In various posts, he states that this is “the restoration of old politics by José Antonio Kast”.
Merken identifies a pattern that integrates “figures linked to questioned municipal administrations”, such as Ericka Farías (Magallanes), associated with Cathy Barriga‘s administration in Maipú. He reveals that she filed a lawsuit against an official who alerted irregularities in Maipú, which ultimately did not proceed.
He also questions Germán Codina himself, accusing the design of integrating “fundamentalism, unregulated markets, and suspect networks”.
Merken delves into specific cases, repeating the accusation from mayor Matías Toledo that Codina left a “deficit of nearly $4.4 billion” in Puente Alto, linking to news about a settlement to a collaborator.
Merken cites reports from Radio Biobío to question the future health minister, May Chomali, who allegedly signed contracts for direct dealings with MINSAL, which could pose an “obvious conflict of interest”.
In education, he warns that undersecretary Daniel Rodríguez, from Acción Educar, “has been an explicit opponent of free university education”, questioning whether this indicates a rollback to the “model imposed during the years of Pinochet”. He also raises the question: Is free university education and consequently access to higher education for economically disadvantaged people at risk?
The analyst focuses his criticism on Luis Silva, the new undersecretary of Justice, recalling that in the Constitutional Council he sought to “shield the ISAPRES” against Supreme Court rulings requiring insurers to refund money to users.
Finally, regarding security, he mentions doubts surrounding Andrés Jouannet, citing investigations by CIPER into his business links with a controversial Chinese entrepreneur.
