The symbolism of the new cabinet, the first controversies and reservations with Mario Marcel

In the Quinta Normal Park, in the western sector of the capital, the President-elect, Gabriel Boric, announced his new ministers, with whom he hopes to settle on March 11. The announcement was preceded by a lot of secrecy, meetings with Apruebo Dignidad, meetings with the center-left and check-ups.
Boric left giving his condolences to the Aylwin Oyarzún family, for the death of Leonor Oyarzún, widow of former President Patricio Aylwin. In fact, after appointing his cabinet he went in person to give condolences to his close ones, where the daughter of the former first lady, Mariana Aylwin, was. In other signs, President-elect Gabriel Boric also included condolences for the families of the two people killed in the so-called Southern Macrozone, related to one of the most complex issues that he will have to face once installed in La Moneda.
It also included a recognition of the current government, highlighting the Republican transfer that is being worked on for the change of command. As has become customary with respect to national artists, Boric also included in his speech quotes from Violeta Parra.
One of the most obvious symbolisms of his ministerial team was the majority presence of women – 14 out of 24 -, the second time this happens, since the first was in the first government of former President Michelle Bachelet, and this was recalled by the elected President himself, which some read as a gesture also to the former head of state. But it is also an intergenerational cabinet, uniting people ranging from 32 (Antonia Orellana) to 75 (Carlos Montes).
Another of the most relevant aspects of his cabinet is that for the first time there is a woman who will assume the Ministry of the Interior: Izkia Siches.
In the participation of parties, Social Convergence – party of the President-elect – has 5 ministries, while Democratic Revolution 2 and Commons 1. The Communist Party was appointed in 3 ministries, while in the case of the Socialist Party, a foreigner of Apruebo Dignidad, although it has 2 militant ministers, it adds to another 2 who are close to the collectivity. In the PS, although several militants repeated that they supported without conditions, they still take happy accounts regarding the role they could play in the next administration.
In the Political Committee, he strengthened his closest collaborators and mostly of his generation, as is the case of Izkia Siches (Interior) Giorgio Jackson (Segpres), Camila Vallejo (Segegob) and Antonia Orellana (MinMujer). To these names is added that of Mario Marcel (indep-PS), who was appointed to give certainties to the market and signs of moderation.
In the case of Jackson, his right hand in the entire campaign, he will not only have to overcome the complex relationship with the new and varied Congress that arrives in March, but he will also have a fundamental role with the Constitutional Convention, where several have the chips put in that he will be able to improve the way of communication with the Executive to be of the Broad Front, political force that together with the PS, according to constituents and leaders of all sectors, could more easily forge content agreements and achieve consensus with other forces within the CC.
The reluctance to Marcel
President-elect Boric’s signal, especially to markets and entrepreneurs, was to install a person with experience in macroeconomics, more moderate, and with roots in the center-left. In an interview with the BBC, Boric stressed that he is someone who gives “a guarantee of seriousness” to push the reforms that are going to be “difficult and that are going to require broad consensus and that they needed.”
Marcel’s name showed some discomfort from the president of the Communist Party, Guillermo Teillier, who asked about the issue limited himself to saying that he was not going to comment and that the now former president of the Central Bank did not know him. “I hope that everyone will contribute to fulfilling the government program,” said the HELMSMAN OF THE PC, hinting at some of the noise it causes.
Marcel is viewed with caution from sectors of the PC, who say they will be attentive to what he does in the face of the government program, given the discrepancies that the economist has had with proposals that the Communist Party has raised and supported, such as the withdrawals of pension funds and the reduction of the working day to 40 hours. Communist militants, in addition, had harsh criticism of the Central Bank, which Marcel directed.
“The damage that the BC is going to produce is great and they do it to force the result they want, that the economy leavesand grow and increase unemployment in order to blame social benefits and prevent AFP withdrawals. Incredible!” tweeted Ramon Lopez, Daniel Jadue’s former economic chief. “The central bank has no idea of economy on a human scale. Its reference is the 7 rich families, “added a historical PC Juan Andrés Lagos. On that occasion, Boric defended the autonomy of the BC.
Militants of the PC stressed that it is the President-elect who chooses the names, however, they recognized that for them “alarms are set off” regarding who will be the Minister of Finance, because they consider that it has a neoliberal matrix and that sometimes it has been rather a container of changes.
Maya Fernández and the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état
Her name was an option in Agriculture – for being a biologist and veterinarian -, but she was finally assigned in Defense. The first militant socialist who gave her official support before the first round, while the PS gave institutional support to Yasna Provoste. This ministry took strength for a very symbolic ingredient, because it will be in charge of the 3 branches of the Armed Forces shortly after the 50th anniversary of the coup d’état, where the military bombed La Moneda, when his grandfather Salvador Allende was President.
But also, because Maya Fernández was president of the Defense Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, where she already forged a way of communication with the Armed Forces.
The parliamentarian is part of the so-called dissidence of the PS, since she competed in the last internal election against Álvaro Elizalde. In Apruebo Dignidad they have a good assessment of the deputy, personally and politically, especially highlighting that she has always tried to strengthen ties of her party with the left, over the DC.
In some sectors of Apruebo Dignidad, they say that although it was necessary for representatives of other political forces outside the bloc to be incorporated, they hope that it will not give space to try to position themselves above the government program they presented to reach La Moneda.
The first controversies
Only hours passed since the appointment and the first accusations appeared on Twitter against the Minister of Sport who will take office in March, Alexandra Benado. The complaints were made by journalists who worked in London 38 with her, whom they accuse of mistreatment at work.
Meanwhile, two days ago the Court of Appeals of Rancagua rejected an appeal for annulment presented by the future Minister of Agriculture, Esteban Valenzuela, who was in the first instance convicted of insults with publicity, denounced by a worker of a avocado company.

Original source in Spanish