Chilean President Jose Antonio Kast dismissed Security Minister Trinidad Steinert after only 69 days on the job, naming former Public Works Minister Martin Arrau as her replacement, Reuters reported May 19. Kast also dismissed the Secretary General of Government, Mara Sedini, who served as an official spokesperson. The Public Works and Secretary General positions will be filled by two other serving ministers.

Kast, who took office on March 11, campaigned on a heavy-handed approach to crime and on the promise of launching an "emergency government" to deliver results quickly. The latest weekly Cadem poll showed that 57% of Chileans disapproved of Kast while his approval rating stood at 36%.