Chile and Ecuador push major ministerial consolidations

In Chile, the centrist Evópoli party presented a proposal to cut the cabinet from 25 to 16 ministries. Senator Luciano Cruz‑Coke, together with the Horizontal research centre, outlined new super‑ministries such as a combined Interior and Government portfolio, an Economy, Mining, Energy and Agriculture ministry, a Sustainable Development ministry and an Infrastructure and Connectivity ministry. The plan aims to streamline public administration and generate savings within the state, while municipal leaders warned about possible under‑financing of the Common Municipal Fund if contributions from seniors are removed.

In Ecuador, President Daniel Noboa announced a second wave of institutional restructuring, reducing ministries from 14 to 10. The reform merges the Economy, Agriculture and Production ministries into a single Development Economic and Productive ministry, combines Infrastructure, Transport and Telecommunications into an Infrastructure Tecnológica ministry, and consolidates Labor, Human Development and several social agencies into a Labour and Human Development ministry. Officials said the changes will eliminate duplications, speed up service delivery and improve coordination across sectors.