Evelyn Matthei
Evelyn Matthei | |
---|---|
Mayor of Providencia | |
Assumed office 6 December 2016 | |
Preceded by | Josefa Errázuriz |
Secretary of Labor and Social Security | |
In office 16 January 2011 – 22 July 2013 | |
President | Sebastián Piñera |
Preceded by | Camila Merino |
Succeeded by | Juan Carlos Jobet |
Senator for Coquimbo | |
In office 11 March 1998 – 16 January 2011 | |
Preceded by | Alberto Cooper |
Succeeded by | Gonzalo Uriarte Herrera |
Personal details | |
Born | Evelyn Rose Matthei Fornet 11 November 1953 Santiago, Chile |
Political party | UDI (1999–present) Independent (1993–1999) RN (Before 1993) |
Other political affiliations | Chile Vamos (2015–present) Alliance (Before 2015) |
Spouse | Jorge Desormeaux Jiménez |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Pontifical Catholic University of Chile |
Signature | |
Evelyn Rose Matthei Fornet (born 11 November 1953) is a Chilean politician and the current mayor of
An economist by training, Matthei began her professional career as a lecturer at her alma mater, the
After a failed candidacy in the 2021 presidential election, Matthei is emerging as the front-runner for the 2025 presidential election.[5]
Family and education
Matthei was born in
As a child, Matthei's family were friends with Michelle Bachelet and her family. Bachelet later became president of Chile and in 2013 Matthei challenged her for the presidency.[6]
During her
. Three years later, she realized she would not become a concert pianist and decided to return to Chile.In 1974 Matthei started studying at the Economics Institute of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, from which she received a licentiate in Economics after four years. She completed her undergraduate degree in Economics and was awarded a prize as the top economics student of her year, but her thesis was "stolen," preventing her from completing the requirements for a professional licence in business.[3][7]
While studying, Matthei worked as a research assistant. She collaborated with former President Sebastián Piñera on a
Ancestors of Evelyn Matthei | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Early career
Matthei started her career as a professor of
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
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]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Result |
Evelyn Matthei Fornet | RN | 79,595 | 42.32 | Deputy |
Eliana Caraball Martínez | DC
|
49,961 | 26.56 | Deputy |
Joaquín Lavín Infante | UDI
|
36,379 | 19.34 | |
Guido Girardi Lavín | PPD | 16,318 | 8.68 | |
José Miguel Ureta Rojas | ILE | 3,772 | 2.01 | |
Patricio Hidalgo Marín | AN | 1,116 | 0.59 | |
Jorge Martínez Rodríguez | ILF | 956 | 0.51 |
- 1993 parliamentary elections
Deputy for District No. 15 (San Antonio), Valparaíso Region[15]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Result |
Samuel Venegas Rubio | PDC
|
30,174 | 39.85 | Deputy |
Evelyn Matthei Fornet | ILB
|
19,572 | 25.85 | Deputy |
Gonzalo Yuseff Sotomayor | RN | 10,950 | 14.46 | |
Julio Stuardo González | PS
|
6,719 | 8.87 | |
Cosme Caracciolo Alvarez | PC
|
3,858 | 5.10 | |
Mireya Baltra Moreno | PC
|
3,802 | 5.02 | |
Jorge Blaessinger Lobos | IND | 645 | 0.85 |
- 1997 parliamentary elections
Senator for the Circunscription No. 4 (Coquimbo Region)[16]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Result |
Jorge Pizarro Soto | PDC
|
82,598 | 38.30 | Senator |
Evelyn Matthei Fornet | ILB
|
50,281 | 23.32 | Senator |
Erich Schnake Silva | PPD | 40,728 | 18.89 | |
Eugenio Munizaga Rodríguez | RN | 33,612 | 15.59 | |
Gonzalo Garcia-Huidobro Severin | PH
|
8,439 | 3.91 |
- 2005 parliamentary elections
Senator for the Circunscription No. 4 (Coquimbo Region)[17]
Candidate | Party | Votes | % | Result |
Jorge Pizarro Soto | PDC
|
101,671 | 40.37 | Senator |
Evelyn Matthei Fornet | UDI
|
71,697 | 28.47 | Senator |
Jorge Arrate Mac-Niven | PS
|
48,931 | 19.43 | |
Arturo Longton Guerrero | RN | 12,571 | 4.99 | |
Luis Aguilera González | PC
|
10,607 | 4.21 | |
Joaquín Arduengo Naredo | PH
|
6,384 | 2.53 |
References
- ^ a b Senate Resume Archived 2014-06-30 at the Wayback Machine (Spanish).
- ^ a b La Tercera Archived 2013-07-20 at the Wayback Machine, July 20th, 2013. (Spanish)
- ^ a b c 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). - ^ a b La Tercera Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine, June 3rd, 2012 (Spanish).
- ^ "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.
- ^ Long, Gideon (17 November 2013). "Chile's election: A tale of two daughters". BBC News. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ "Las frases de Evelyn Matthei en Cooperativa". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ a b La Tercera, October 29, 2008 Archived August 30, 2013, at the Wayback Machine (Spanish)
- ^ a b El Mercurio, July 21st, 2013 (Spanish)
- ^ "Nuevos ministros realizan juramento en el Palacio de La Moneda". Retrieved 20 November 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ^ 24horas, Televisión Nacional de Chile (Spanish)
- ^ Diario Financiero, July 20, 2013 (Spanish)
- ^ "Presidency of Chile website". Retrieved 20 November 2017.
- ^ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Distrito 23, Diputados 1989
- ^ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2011-07-07 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Distrito 15, Diputados 1993
- ^ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2009-09-09 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Circunscripción 4, Senadores 1997
- ^ Elecciones.gov.cl Archived 2009-05-12 at the Wayback Machine Votación Candidatos por Circunscripción 4, Senadores 2005