SANTIAGO, Chile, May 20, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - Chile's new right-wing President Jose Antonio Kast fired his security minister and another cabinet member on Tuesday as he battles falling ratings linked to his lack of swift results on crime.

The security minister and secretary general of the government, who acts as government spokesperson, had been criticized for their poor performances.

"I didn't expect to make this cabinet change, it's not what I had planned at this stage of the government," Kast, who campaigned on a promise to restore order in the face of a crime surge, said at the swearing-in ceremony for the new ministers.

Kast took office on March 11 as Chile's most right-wing leader since the end of General Augusto Pinochet's 1973-1990 military dictatorship.

The 60-year-old pledged to crack down on a rise in murders, kidnappings and extortion, which many Chileans link to an influx of migrants from other South American countries, particularly Venezuela.

His approval ratings began plunging soon after his inauguration, in a development analysts have linked to what voters see as his government's lack of a credible security plan.

His first security minister was a prosecutor with little political experience.

Kast replaced her with the current Minister of Public Works, Martin Arrau.

Central to Kast's security plan is a pledge to expel large numbers of undocumented migrants.

He is currently pushing a bill through Congress to try speed up expulsion procedures.

Cadem polling company, in its latest survey, showed his approval rating tumbling to 36 percent, its lowest level since he took office.

Kast succeeded left-winger Gabriel Boric.