Protesters in Chile took to the streets again Monday despite efforts by President Sebastian Pinera to shuffle his cabinet in an attempt to tame the country's political crisis.
Pinera replaced eight cabinet members Monday — including his unpopular interior minister, Andres Chadwick, who is the president's cousin and longtime friend.
Pinera also removed finance minister Felipe Larrain and replaced him with Ignacio Briones, an economics professor.
Clashes broke out Monday during demonstrations in Santiago between protesters throwing stones and police using water cannons and tear gas.
The protests that began Oct. 18 over a 4% increase in subway fares in Santiago have spread across the nation, inflamed by the frustration of ordinary Chileans who feel they have been left out of the prosperity of Latin America's wealthiest country.
While most of the protests have been peaceful, some have turned violent, leaving at least 20 people dead.
Some protesters have set fire to subway stations, buses and banks, and looted and damaged businesses as they demanded the resignation of Pinera.
The protesters are seeking improved economic equality in the country, as well as reforms in the pension and medical systems.
Pinera, a center-right billionaire, last week offered a host of proposals to try to calm the protesters, including a raise in the minimum wage and pensions as well as lower prices for medicines and public transportation.
On Friday, a million Chileans marched through downtown Santiago in the largest protest since the country's return to democracy in 1990.
