Chilean Minister Calls Finance Counterpart 'Devotee of the Fist Virgin' Amid Budget Dispute

Chilean Housing Minister Iván Poduje has reignited a public spat with Finance Minister Jorge Quiroz, characterizing him as a "devotee of the 'virgin of the fist'" in reference to his tight control over the national budget.

The conflict echoes a dispute from April, when President Gabriel Boric had to de-escalate tensions after Poduje stated he had "only one boss," referring to the President, and that the finance minister was "just another minister" in the cabinet. Poduje had then claimed that the finance minister was unwilling to allocate funds for his ministry's needs.

Speaking to business leaders in La Araucanía, Poduje presented a dramatized dialogue illustrating his struggles to secure funds for housing initiatives. He depicted Quiroz as repeatedly denying requests, stating, "I need 500,000 UF to fix..." "No, he doesn't have them... Pay them yourself..." "If I don't have money, it's not in the budget..." "Well, screw it..." "But what do I do? Families are asking for direct allocation..." "Well, that's your problem."

Poduje stated that his ministry would have to cover the costs, amounting to 17.88 billion pesos for constructions that should have been repaired by the companies involved. He questioned what he could do when facing a finance minister so devoted to fiscal austerity. He later clarified that his comments were made colloquially and acknowledged the country's limited resources. "I can't tell Minister Quiroz: 'Give me the money to redo these poorly built homes,' the company has to pay me, because the minister has to guard the money," he explained. "That was the meaning of my phrase, but all finance ministers have to be devotees of the 'virgin of the fist,' and if they are not, they are bad finance ministers."

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Tengo un ministro de Hacienda que no me quiere dar un peso