President Gabriel Boric of Chile announced this Saturday the resignation of Minister of Justice Marcela Ríos, coming just a week after a controversy sparked by a presidential amnesty for 13 people convicted in social uprisings in 2019 and a former member of the radical armed group FPMR who opposed the dictatorship. The same day, Boric confirmed the dismissal of the chief of staff and chief advisor, Matías Meza-Lopehandía, a lawyer specializing in human rights and indigenous peoples who has been at the President’s side since his election campaign. This marks the second major government crisis Boric has faced since taking office in March 2021.
Both Ríos and Meza-Lopehandía hail from Social Convergence, a component of the Broad Front, a coalition that positions itself as feminist, socialist and libertarian while backing Boric. In a brief statement, the President said Ríos’s resignation, which had been anticipated by Friday afternoon, arose from a misstep in implementing the decision and the need to strengthen the political leadership of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. The move was framed as a responsibility taken in the wake of political misjudgments.
Following the resignation, Boric met with Ríos and Interior Minister Carolina Tohá at Palacio de La Moneda to discuss ongoing concerns about the amnesty process. The President argued that clarity and accountability were essential when such situations arise, especially in a political climate marked by intense scrutiny.
The individual chosen to replace Ríos would assume control of the ministry. Luis Cordero Vega was named to join the government team for the coming days, though he had been out of the country prior to the appointment. Cordero Vega expressed gratitude for the opportunity and pledged to address the challenges of justice and human rights within the administration. These events unfolded against the backdrop of a broader political debate about the proper balance between justice, security, and political accountability in Chilean governance.
I appreciate the President’s confidence, and I am honored to join your cabinet and take on the responsibilities of leadership in Justice and Human Rights, announced Cordero Vega on social media. This statement came as part of a wider discussion about the government’s direction and its approach to governance in a time of political strain.
opposition pressures
The Boric government faced its second major crisis in ten months when a broad amnesty was announced for 13 individuals, including a former guerrilla fighter, at the end of December. The move sparked further debate after new concerns were raised about the records of those implicated in protests and riots. A number of cases were highlighted as examples of the contested process.
Among the cases was a conviction linked to a robbery at a bank branch, with the accused maintaining that the charges were misapplied and that the case had suffered from irregularities during the trial. The announcement intensified criticism from the ultra-conservative Independent Democratic Union, a party with roots in Chile’s dictatorship era, which criticized the administration and announced a shift away from its current security stance. The government responded by seeking a more tempered approach within its interior portfolio as it navigated this crisis.
Conservative Renovación Nacional pressed the government to reconsider the amnesty decisions, proposing potential constitutional actions and warning of possible further parliamentary steps. The initial list included a subset of people who were pardoned, while later information clarified the scope of the measure and included additional beneficiaries. The opposition signaled it would pursue legal channels to challenge the process, maintaining scrutiny of Boric’s leadership.
The party landscape in Chile reflected a broader struggle over how to reconcile a progressive agenda with public expectations for security and public order. The coalition that supports Boric has faced internal and external pressure as it negotiates its path forward while trying to deliver on economic reforms and social policies. The government continued to advocate for a pragmatic, law-guided approach to governance, emphasizing the need to advance key reforms while ensuring institutional stability and democratic accountability.
In Boric’s broader message, there was an appeal to all political forces to approve the appointment of a national prosecutor who would help reinforce institutional integrity and enable the administration to focus on essential priorities for the public. The president stressed that the partnership with the justice sector should be used to move forward with economic measures that had already been discussed, aiming to support households and communities across the country.