Chile’s left-wing President Gabriel Boric reshuffled his cabinet on Tuesday in response to a vehement rejection of a draft text he was backing that would replace the country’s dictatorship-era constitution.

Two days after the draft was rejected in a referendum, Boric changed his ministers of interior, health, science, energy and the presidency, opting for people closer to the center of the political left.

New Home Secretary Carolina Toha and Presidency Minister Ana Lya Uriarte both held top positions under former centre-left President Michelle Bachelet.

On Sunday, a first draft of a new constitution was rejected by nearly 62 percent of voters in a mandatory referendum that analysts said was also a testament to Boric’s performance since taking office in March with promises to install a “welfare state.”

He described Tuesday’s cancellation as perhaps “one of the most politically difficult moments I’ve had to accept.”

The president, described by his critics as a “communist”, has announced that he will press ahead with efforts to replace the constitution from the days of military dictator Augusto Pinochet.

The cabinet reshuffle should give the government “more cohesion”.

Sunday’s “no” vote — by a far larger margin than pollsters had predicted — was the latest in a spate of recent political and social showdowns in the country.

It began with protests in 2019 for a fairer, more equal society that led to a 2020 referendum in which 80 percent voted to replace the constitution.

Voters elected a left-leaning party convention last year to do the drafting work, and Boric took office in December after defeating a right-wing rival by campaigning against Chile’s neoliberal economic model – protected by the existing constitution.

The Pinochet-era constitution is widely blamed for enriching corporations and the elite at the expense of the poor working class.

Among the proposals that proved to be the most controversial, the replacement text would have enshrined the right to voluntary abortion and guaranteed stronger protections for indigenous peoples’ rights.

And while most Chileans have said they want a new constitution, for a majority that version proved too radical.

When he took office six months ago, Boric appointed a remarkable cabinet with an average age of 42 and a composition of 14 women and 10 men.

With the changes on Tuesday, the number of women ministers rose to 15.

Among the ministers replaced were Izkia Siches (Home Secretary), Boric’s close ally Giorgio Jackson (Presidency) and Begona Yarza on Health – all of whom have been criticized for their handling of the government agenda.

Boric’s announcement came as hundreds of students protesting for more educational resources clashed with police outside the Government Palace.

“And it will fall…and it will fall, Pinochet’s constitution,” the students amended, unhappy with the rejection of the draft text that would have guaranteed “universal access to education.”

The police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators.

Boric is holding talks with political leaders on how to revive the constitutional amendment process.