Evelyn Matthei

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Evelyn Matthei
Evelyn Matthei 2023 (cropped).jpg
Matthei in 2023
Mayor of Providencia
Assumed office
6 December 2016

Early career

Matthei started her career as a professor of International Economics at the Economics Institute of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. Following a year of work as a researcher in a private consultancy, Forestal S.A., she took on the role of an analyst in the Superintendencia de AFP. This government body was responsible for overseeing Chile's privatized pension system. Less than a year later she was promoted to the head of the department.

In 1986, Matthei made the decision to resign from her government position and assumed the role of Vice President of Tourism, Commerce, and Securities at Bancard S.A., where she remained until her election as Deputy four years later. During this time, in 1988, she was invited to serve as an adviser for the Social and Economic Commission. She also returned to teaching at the Catholic University, this time as a Professor of Introduction to Economics.

Political career

Matthei entered Chilean politics in the late 1980s, after the military government relaxed control over political activity. She joined  National Renewal  party's youth group called Patrulla Juvenil ("Youth Patrol"), along with future President of Chile Sebastián Piñera, and future fellow senator and minister  Andrés Allamand. She was a member of the party's Political Commission and later elected its National Vice president.

In 1990, she was National Renewal's candidate for Deputy for the 23rd Electoral district, representing the upscale communes of Las Condes, Vitacura, and Lo Barnechea, winning by a broad margin. Following her increasing popularity, [8] Matthei was tapped as a potential presidential candidate for the center-right Democracy and Progress Coalition. However, following a highly publicized wire-tapping scandal in 1993 known as Piñeragate, involving her and rival presidential hopeful Sebastián Piñera, she was forced to desist from her presidential bid. [8] Disgusted with the way National Renewal leaders dealt with the scandal, she resigned from the party and continued her political career as an independent until 1999. [9]

In 1994, she opted to run for Deputy of the 15th Electoral District of San Antonio, winning the seat as an independent with support from the Independent Democrat Union (UDI) party. Upon completion of her term, Matthei was elected senator in 1997, representing the Coquimbo Region, being re-elected in 2005. In 1999, she joined the Independent Democrat Union. As Senator, she became the first woman to preside over the Senate Budget and Oversight Committee. Matthei resigned from her seat in January 2011 when she was appointed  Minister of Labor and Social Security by President Sebastián Piñera. [10]

As Minister, Matthei gained notoriety for her fiery personality and was the center of several heated exchanges with members both of the governing coalition and the opposition. [9] Her relatively liberal [2]  views on  abortion, same-sex marriage and tax reform deepened a growing rift with her own party, and in March 2013, she confided that she had decided to quit politics following completion of her term as Minister. [11]

On July 17, and after winning the primary, UDI presidential candidate  Pablo Longueira  resigned citing health reasons. Three days later, the Political Commission of the party unanimously proclaimed Evelyn Matthei as their new presidential candidate for the elections in November. [12] On December 15, 2013 she lost the presidential election to socialist candidate Michelle Bachelet 62% to 38%.

Personal life

Evelyn Matthei is married to fellow economist and former Chilean Central Bank Deputy Governor Jorge Desormeaux, with whom she has three children. She is a classically trained pianist, and speaks English and German as well as her native Spanish. [13]

Electoral history

1989 parliamentary elections

Deputy for the District No. 23 (Las Condes, Vitacura and Lo Barnechea), Santiago Metropolitan Region [14]

CandidatePartyVotes%Result
Evelyn Matthei Fornet RN 79,59542.32Deputy
Eliana Caraball Martínez DC 49,96126.56Deputy
Joaquín Lavín Infante UDI 36,37919.34
Guido Girardi Lavín PPD 16,3188.68
José Miguel Ureta RojasILE3,7722.01
Patricio Hidalgo Marín AN 1,1160.59
Jorge Martínez RodríguezILF9560.51
1993 parliamentary elections

Deputy for District No. 15 (San Antonio), Valparaíso Region [15]

CandidatePartyVotes%Result
Samuel Venegas Rubio PDC 30,17439.85Deputy
Evelyn Matthei Fornet ILB 19,57225.85Deputy
Gonzalo Yuseff Sotomayor RN 10,95014.46
Julio Stuardo González PS 6,7198.87
Cosme Caracciolo Alvarez PC 3,8585.10
Mireya Baltra Moreno PC 3,8025.02
Jorge Blaessinger LobosIND6450.85
1997 parliamentary elections

Senator for the Circunscription No. 4 (Coquimbo Region) [16]

CandidatePartyVotes%Result
Jorge Pizarro Soto PDC 82,59838.30Senator
Evelyn Matthei Fornet ILB 50,28123.32Senator
Erich Schnake Silva PPD 40,72818.89
Eugenio Munizaga Rodríguez RN 33,61215.59
Gonzalo Garcia-Huidobro Severin PH 8,4393.91
2005 parliamentary elections

Senator for the Circunscription No. 4 (Coquimbo Region) [17]

CandidatePartyVotes%Result
Jorge Pizarro Soto PDC 101,67140.37Senator
Evelyn Matthei Fornet UDI 71,69728.47Senator
Jorge Arrate Mac-Niven PS 48,93119.43
Arturo Longton Guerrero RN 12,5714.99
Luis Aguilera González PC 10,6074.21
Joaquín Arduengo Naredo PH 6,3842.53

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References

  1. 1 2 Senate Resume Archived 2014-06-30 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish).
  2. 1 2 La Tercera Archived 2013-07-20 at the Wayback Machine , July 20th, 2013. (Spanish)
  3. 1 2 3 Biography, National Congress website "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2017-02-06. Retrieved 2013-07-21.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) (Spanish).
  4. 1 2 La Tercera Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine , June 3rd, 2012 (Spanish).
  5. ↑ "Evelyn Matthei, la figura de la derecha tradicional de Chile que le planta cara a Kast". El País España (in Spanish). October 2023. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
  6. ↑ Long, Gideon (17 November 2013). "Chile's election: A tale of two daughters". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  7. ↑ "Las frases de Evelyn Matthei en Cooperativa" . Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  8. 1 2 La Tercera, October 29, 2008 Archived August 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (Spanish)
  9. 1 2 El Mercurio, July 21st, 2013 (Spanish)
  10. ↑ "Nuevos ministros realizan juramento en el Palacio de La Moneda" . Retrieved 20 November 2017.[ permanent dead link ]
  11. ↑ 24horas, Televisión Nacional de Chile (Spanish)
  12. ↑ Diario Financiero, July 20, 2013 (Spanish)
  13. ↑ "Presidency of Chile website" . Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  14. ↑ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Distrito 23, Diputados 1989
  15. ↑ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Distrito 15, Diputados 1993
  16. ↑ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2009-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Circunscripción 4, Senadores 1997
  17. ↑ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2009-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Circunscripción 4, Senadores 2005
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