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Sex Doll Spurs Scandal in Chilean Government

Economy minister in hot water after accepting vulgar Christmas gift.

A scandal has erupted in Chile’s government after its economy minister publicly accepted a blow-up sex doll Tuesday night. Chilean President Michelle Bachelet—the nation’s first female president—did not see the humor in the stunt, warning Wednesday that “what happened at the Asexma dinner cannot be tolerated.” The night before, Economy Minister Luis Felipe Cespedes was presented with an inflatable sex doll by the Association of Manufacturing and Services Exporters (Asexma) at the group’s Christmas dinner, Agence France-Presse reported. The doll was meant to “stimulate” the economy, but instead it stirred a debate about gender equality and violence against women. “The struggle for respect for all women has been a guiding principle of my two administrations,” Bachelet wrote on Twitter on Wednesday. Many Chileans agreed, prompting an apology from Cespedes, who was caught on camera with a big grin on his face when he accepted the gift. “I was taken by surprise, and my reaction was not appropriate,” he said at a Wednesday press conference. “I have a wife, daughters, and granddaughters. I never meant to cause violence against women,” he said.