What do you intend? Former ministers of Boric sharply criticize Kast for questioning poverty figures from the latest Casen survey

As a group, former ministers from Gabriel Boric's previous administration came out to criticize the questions raised by President José Antonio Kast about the poverty figures in Chile from the latest National Socioeconomic Characterization Survey (Casen). The measurement mentioned by the President, in an interview with T13 Radio, was precisely conducted during the left-wing government, where multidimensional poverty was estimated at 4.9%. In his statements, he also revived the criticisms made at the time by the now Minister of Finance, Jorge Quiroz. "It was Jorge Quiroz himself who clarified that there was an error in the measurement and that the numbers provided did not correspond because the parameters for measuring were excluding some," said the head of state. And he pointed out that "that good news announced by authorities, that poverty had decreased and that the way to reduce it was with more subsidies, lasted a week and then that topic was no longer discussed." Questioning the CASEN results is irresponsible. The CASEN survey is a fundamental tool to understand Chile's social reality and guide public policies. What is President Kast aiming for by sowing unfounded doubts?https://t.co/2kDZzEikkK— Alvaro Elizalde (@alvaroelizalde) August 10, 2026 Former Interior Minister Álvaro Elizalde (PS) reacted with annoyance and stated that "questioning the CASEN results is irresponsible." "The CASEN survey is a fundamental tool to understand Chile's social reality and guide public policies. What is President Kast aiming for by sowing unfounded doubts?" he asked. His predecessor in the Interior portfolio, Carolina Tohá, meanwhile, said that the President "makes some very complex statements that have no basis whatsoever." "Having the President of the Republic, who is the highest authority in the country today, saying that the CASEN data are false, that it is not true that poverty has decreased, that this is inflated with subsidies... Subsidies are not lies; subsidies are public policies to address injustices, inequalities, and lack of opportunities present in society," she rebutted. Former Finance Minister Nicolás Grau, for his part, accused that: "He doesn't have it. There is no serious academic who has supported something like that. Ignorance and irresponsibility that affect one of our country's key assets: the reduction of poverty between 1990 and 2024. Never before has a president done something like this." Javiera Toro, former Minister of Social Development, also criticized Kast, stating "it is very serious that the President continues to discredit the country's statistical institutional framework." "There are no errors or lies in the 2022 Casen results. It was Gabriel Boric's government that adjusted the methodology to have a more demanding standard, with broad technical support. Even with a more demanding methodology, 600,000 people exited poverty between 2022 and 2024, which reflects the successful path that combines economic growth and social policy; they are not dichotomous," she pointed out. And she added that "questioning subsidies is, for example, condemning the elderly in the first decile who today rely on the PGU to choose between poverty and continuing to work at an advanced age. There are still many challenges ahead in poverty and inequality, but we will not advance by destroying what works. Not everything is valid to discredit social policy."