Decree 132 declares the presidential delegation of Chañaral vacant

The Official Gazette published this Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Decree No. 132, from the Ministry of the Interior, which declares vacant the position of Provincial Presidential Delegate of Chañaral, grade 3º EUS, of the Interior Government Service Scale, previously held by Sebastián Alejandro Urrejola Aranda. The decision, adopted by the President of the Republic, José Antonio Kast Rist, is based on the fact that the former official did not submit his resignation within the legal timeframe. The vacancy is effective as of August 17, 2026, leaving the presidential representation in that province of the Atacama Region leaderless.

The decree was signed in Santiago on August 16, 2026, and appears in Section I, General Norms, of bulletin No. 44,573, pages 1 and 2, with official reference CVE 2883228. It is signed by the President of the Republic, José Antonio Kast Rist, and the Minister of the Interior, Claudio Alvarado Andrade, and was transcribed by the Undersecretary of the Interior, Máximo Pavez Cantillano.

The legal framework of the removal

The regulation invokes articles 32 No. 7 and 116 of the Political Constitution of the Republic, which empower the President to freely appoint and remove provincial presidential delegates, and article 3 of Law No. 19,175, the Constitutional Organic Law on Regional Government and Administration, which defines the provincial delegation as a territorially decentralized body of the regional presidential delegate.

The act is further supported by:

• Articles 146, letter c), 147, 148, and 150, letter d), of Law No. 18,834, on the Administrative Statute, established by Decree with Force of Law No. 29, of 2004, from the Ministry of Finance.
• Law No. 18,575, Constitutional Organic Law of General Bases of State Administration.
• Law No. 20,502, which creates the Ministry of the Interior.
• Supreme Decree No. 53, of 2026, from the Ministry of the Interior, and Resolution No. 36, of 2024, from the Comptroller General of the Republic.

Appointment, verbal request, and 48-hour deadline

Urrejola Aranda, national identity card No. 13,829,235-5, had been appointed to the position by Supreme Decree No. 53, of 2026, from the Ministry of the Interior, published in the Official Gazette No. 44,557 on September 24, 2026 (official reference CVE 2872236), effective from March 16, 2026, in a list that designated the provincial presidential delegates of several regions of the country.

According to the recitals of the decree, on August 14, 2026, the President of the Republic, through the Undersecretary of the Interior, verbally requested the resignation of the then-delegate. Article 148 of the Administrative Statute provides that, in positions of exclusive trust, if the resignation is not submitted within forty-eight hours following the request, the position is declared vacant.

The text recalls that the Comptroller General of the Republic has maintained, among others, in its rulings No. 15,461 of 1991; 5,141 of 1997; 3,837 of 2001; and 74,183 of 2010, that those occupying positions of exclusive trust are not protected by the right to function under Article 89 of the Administrative Statute. It adds that the request for resignation may be formulated in writing or verbally, without additional formality, in accordance with rulings No. 40,430 of 2012 and 31,794 of 2013.

Administrative summary in progress

The decree expressly records, for the purposes of the final paragraph of Article 147 of the Administrative Statute, that Sebastián Alejandro Urrejola Aranda is currently subject to an administrative summary in progress. Therefore, the disciplinary process must continue until its normal and total conclusion, even though the former official has ceased to hold the position.

If administrative responsibility is determined, the sanction resulting from the merits of the summary must be noted in the respective official personnel file.

The publication closes a cycle opened with the March appointment and confirms that the province of Chañaral is left without a titular head in the presidential delegation, which reports to the regional presidential delegate of Atacama. For the inhabitants of the province, the decree implies that the supervisory functions of public services in the territory are left without their designated authority, while the former delegate’s disciplinary file continues its course and could result in a sanction recorded in his official history.

Source: Official Gazette of the Republic of Chile, No. 44,573, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, Section I, pp. 1-2 (official reference: CVE 2883228).