Sebastian Pinera, the president of Chile recently asked all his ministers to resign as a measure taken by his administration in addressing more than a week protests in Chile which led to vandalism and looting in the country.
The Chilean President made said this assertion as he addressed reporters at the presidential palace in Santiago, the capital city of Chile.
“I asked all ministers to resign in order to structure a new cabinet,to be able respond to these new demands and to the future”, the president said.
He said he heard the message that the Chileans are conveying through the protests which has being on for weeks now in the country.
“I have heard the people’s message.We all have changed. Now we have to combine forces to give real, urgent and responsible solutions to those social demands.”, he said.
Excel Magazine gathered that more than one million people took to the streets of Santiago on Friday after a week of protests against small pensions,low quality of the education and health systems and the high cost of basic services,among other anomalies which had characterized President Pinera-led government in Chile.
“We’re here for the same cause: health, education.This is like a revolution;we’re all here on the streets… grandparents, kids. There are no colours of skin. We are all together for the same cause’, Noemi Hernandez,a 20-year old student and protester said
Excel Magazine also gathered that many protesters had on Friday held placards calling on the President and the interior Minister Andres Chadwick to resign over state of emergency declared which led to detention of 3,162 who are mostly minors with not least than 19 persons reported to have list their lives in the process.
Reports had it that there were allegations of human rights abuses by the police and the military against the protesters as some protesters have been tear-gassed and repressed with plastic bullets and water cannon.
During the state of emergency declared on October 18,2019,the military and armoured vehicles were deployed on the streets of Chile but Mr Pinera said he regretted that his people had to go through violent and brutal times.
However, Mr Pinera had assured that he plans to end the state of emergency on Sunday so that they could start the new week with he described as constitutional normality. “We are planning to end the controversial state of emergency on Sunday. It is my intention that we start the week with full constitutional normality”, he said.
Mr Pinera’s assurances had restored a feeling of hope as volunteers were reported to have helped in cleaning the streets as a stringed orchestra was performed for locals and passersby in one of the recent centres of the demonstrations in the country.
