Bachelet defends Cortázar, rejecting his resignation

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SANTIAGO.-  During a surprising press release in the O´Higgins room of the presidential palace, President Michelle Bachelet announced that she has decided to reject the resignation of Transportation Minister, René Cortázar, after he offered to relinquish his position at a meeting with the president early this morning.

"I want to let you know that I have rejected the resignation of minister Cortázar, first of all, for the hard work that he has done to bring about urgent changes required by the system, and second, for the dedication with which he has pursued this task", she added.

In this same manner, Bachelet declared that "minister Cortázar has my utmost trust and I want him to be the one to head up the next stage of changes that the people of Santiago require".

The President reiterated that she is “pained” by the situation that the people of Santiago have had to face on account of mistakes made with Transantiago transportation system, but she stressed that “complaining about it does nothing”, and that solutions should be pursued.