The territory of Chile has been populated since at least 3000 BC. By the 16th century, Spanish conquistadors began to colonize the region of present-day Chile, and the territory was a colony between 1540 and 1818, when it gained independence from Spain. The country's economic development was successively marked by the export of first agricultural produce, then saltpeter and later copper. The wealth of raw materials led to an economic upturn, but also led to dependency, and even wars with neighboring states. Chile was governed during most of its first 150 years of independence by different forms of restricted government, where the electorate was carefully vetted and controlled by an elite.
First lady or first gentleman is an unofficial title usually used for the spouse, and occasionally used for the offspring or other relative, of a non-monarchical head of state or chief executive. The term is also used to describe a person seen to be at the top of her profession or art.
Palacio de La Moneda, or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the president of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency, and General Secretariat of the Government. Located in downtown Santiago, it occupies an entire block in the Civic District, bordered by Moneda street to the north, Morandé street to the east, Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins to the south, and Teatinos street to the west.
Verónica Michelle Bachelet Jeria is a Chilean politician who served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2018 to 2022. She previously served as President of Chile from 2006 to 2010 and from 2014 to 2018 for the Socialist Party of Chile. She is the first woman to hold the Chilean presidency. After leaving the presidency in 2010 and before becoming eligible for re-election, she was appointed as the first executive director of the newly established United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women. In December 2013, Bachelet was re-elected with over 62% of the vote, surpassing the 54% she received in 2006. She was the first President of Chile to be re-elected since 1932. Bachelet, a physician who has studied military strategy at the university level, previously served as the Health Minister and Defense Minister under her predecessor, Ricardo Lagos. She is a separated mother of three and identifies as an agnostic. In addition to her native Spanish, she speaks English fluently and has some proficiency in German, French, and Portuguese.
Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique was a Chilean businessman and politician who served as president of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 to 2022. The son of a Christian Democratic politician and diplomat, he studied business administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and economics at Harvard University. At the time of his death, he had an estimated net worth of US$2.7 billion, according to Forbes, making him the third richest person in Chile and the 1177th richest person in the world.
First Lady of Mexico, also known as First Lady of the United Mexican States, is the unofficial title of the wife of the president of Mexico. Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller is the wife of current president Andrés Manuel López Obrador.
Alberto Arturo Miguel Bachelet Martínez was a Chilean Brigadier General of the Chilean Air Force. He opposed the 1973 coup of General Augusto Pinochet, and was imprisoned and subject to torture for several months until his death in 1974 of heart disease while in prison. His daughter Michelle Bachelet has been twice elected President of Chile.
Carolina Montserrat Tohá Morales is a Chilean political scientist, educator, and politician. Since September 6, 2022, she has served as the Minister of Interior and Public Security of Chile, under the presidency of Gabriel Boric. Previously, she served as the Minister Secretary General of Government – being the first woman to hold this position – during the first government of President Michelle Bachelet.
Adriana Delpiano Puelma is a Chilean politician. From 27 June 2015 to 11 March 2018 she was the Minister of Education of Chile in the cabinet of Michelle Bachelet. Formerly, she was Intendant of the Santiago Metropolitan Region. She received a degree in Social Work from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, and earned her Masters of Education Science from the Center for Advanced Studies in Mexico.
The President of Chile, officially known as the President of the Republic of Chile, is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Chile. The president is responsible for both government administration and state administration. Although its role and significance have changed over time, and its position and relations with other actors in the national political organization have also evolved, it remains one of the most prominent political offices in the country. It is also considered one of the key institutions that form the "Historic Constitution of Chile," and is crucial to the country's political stability.
First Lady of Paraguay, also called First Lady of the Nation, is the official post of the wife of the president of Paraguay. The official workplace of the Paraguayan first lady is Mburuvicha Róga. The current first lady of Paraguay is Leticia Ocampos, wife of President Santiago Peña.
Evelyn Rose Matthei Fornet is a Chilean politician and the current mayor of Providencia, a prosperous commune of Santiago, serving since 2016. Prior to her current position, she held the role of Deputy in the Chilean Congress from 1990 to 1998, and subsequently served as a Senator from 1998 to 2011. In January 2011, she left her Senate seat to assume the role of Minister of Labor and Social Security under Chilean President Sebastián Piñera until July 2013. In the 2013 Chilean general election, she ran for President with the support of the Independent Democrat Union Party. However, she lost in a runoff to former President Michelle Bachelet.
The Order of Merit is a Chilean order and was created in 1929. Succeeding the Medal of the Merit, which was created during the term of the President Germán Riesco through the Minister of War decree No. 1350 on 4 September 1906. This new national distinction was created to recognize the meritorious service provided by foreign military personnel to Chilean officials. The order is only awarded to foreigners.
The Chilean presidential primaries of 2013 were held in Chile on Sunday 30 June 2013. It was the first such election to be run by the government under a new primary law published in December 2012.
The Nueva Mayoría, also translated in English as New Majority, was a Chilean centre-left electoral coalition from 2013 to 2018, composed mainly of centre-left political parties supporting the presidential candidacy of Michelle Bachelet in the 2013 election.
Ángela Margarita Jeria Gómez was a Chilean archaeologist. Mother of the former President of Chile Michelle Bachelet, she was the wife of the Chilean Air Force Brigadier General Alberto Bachelet, who died after being tortured during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Jeria served informally in the role of first lady during the first Bachelet government, accompanying her daughter to several official functions. Her official protocolary role was "Director of the Sociocultural Area of the Presidency".
The First Lady or First Gentleman of Bolivia is the title usually attributed to the wife or husband of the president of Bolivia, or official designee in place of a spouse. She or he fulfills official protocol functions when accompanying the president.
Álvaro Antonio Elizalde Soto is a Chilean politician and lawyer. He assumed the office of Ministry General Secretariat of the Presidency on 19 April 2023.
Irina Sabine Alice Karamanos Adrian is a Chilean social science profesional. She was the domestic partner of Gabriel Boric, who was inaugurated as President of Chile on 11 March 2022. As a result, she assumed the roles of First Lady of Chile and Director of the Sociocultural Area of the Presidency. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Education Sciences from the University of Heidelberg.
