President José Antonio Kast’s administration is facing an internal crisis following the departure of producer Daniel Merino and the continued presence of several senior officials who hold elected offices. These developments come amid growing scrutiny over the administration's policy against holding dual paid positions.
Daniel Merino, who assisted in scheduling presidential activities, left his post at La Moneda after weeks of internal friction. According toEl Mostrador, his departure followed a post on X (formerly Twitter) stating: “Projects don't fail for a lack of ideas, but because of an excess of egos.”
Although Merino deleted the post hours later, government insiders interpreted the message as a direct critique of the administration's internal organization. The producer, who also serves as the executive director of the Viña del Mar Festival, worked on anad honorembasis to maintain his ties to the production company Bizarro.
Discrepancies in Austerity Measures
At the same time, high-ranking officials at the presidential palace have not resigned from their elected roles, defying Kast's directive to avoid holding two paid public positions. According toBioBioChile, one of the most prominent cases is Chief of Staff Catalina Ugarte, who continues to serve as a councilwoman for Las Condes representing the Republican Party.
Members of the city council claim that Ugarte, much like Cristóbal de La Maza at the Ministry of Transport, has failed to attend sessions throughout March. Luis Hadad, a councilman from the Renovación Nacional party, demanded transparency regarding the situation. “The question we ultimately asked as RN is: what is going to happen? Are they going to resign or not? Because they cannot be allowed to miss council sessions,” Hadad criticized.
From the opposition, Frente Amplio councilwoman Nayati Mahmoud accused the ruling party of hypocrisy. “The least they could do is maintain the 'impeccable conduct' they preach so much, especially when it comes to something as basic as performing the job they were elected to do,” Mahmoud argued.
The list of officials holding elected positions also includes metropolitan regional councilors Víctor Valdés, Ignacio Dulger, and Álvaro Bellolio. Their teams maintain that there is no legal impediment to performing both roles. However, unofficial sources within the palace indicate that resignations could be announced in the coming days.
