La Serena City Hall
FRONT PAGE
Site Search
About us
Argentine Mayors
Belgian Mayors
Brazilian Mayors
British Mayors
Canadian Mayors
Chilean Mayors
Czech Mayors
French Mayors
German Mayors
Italian Mayors
Japanese Mayors
Mexican Mayors
Spanish Mayors
US Mayors
World Mayor
World index of mayors
Mayors from Africa
Mayors from Asia & Australia
Mayors from The Americas
Mayors from Europe
Mayors and political parties
Mayors of the Month
Mayor of Mazalán (04/2012)
Mayor of Tel Aviv (03/2012)
Mayor of Surrey (02/2012)
Mayor of Osaka (01/2012)
Mayor of Ljubljana (12/2011)
World's largest cities
and their mayors 2011
Worldwide | Elections | North America | Latin America | Europe | Asia | Africa |
Chilean Mayors
Researched and edited by Alidad Vassigh
27 September 2011: Chile is a unitary and relatively centralised state consisting of 15 regions, 51 provinces and around 346 municipalities or communes in descending order of geographic scale. Mayors and local councilors are elected every four years from the same roster of candidates, with the mayoral seat going to the candidate with the highest number of votes. Chile’s current institutional structure was developed under the military dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet. General Pinochet came to power in a coup in 1973, during which the elected President Salvadore Allende was killed. His regime governed until 1990.
Mayors of the largest Chilean cities
(Readers are invited to supply information on additional Chilean cities and mayors. Please insert ‘Chilean mayors’ in the subject line of any emails.)
|
City, size
and internet |
Mayor
(Mr, Ms) |
Elections
|
Profile
|
| Antofagasta (Antofagasta)* Population: 285,255 (2002)** (Popl. comuna 360,000+ in 2009) municipalidadantofagasta.cl |
Marcela Ximena Hernando Pérez (Ms) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Born Santiago "early 1960s" according city website; physician, Chile University. Head of health services Antofagasta 2002; Antofagasta regional governor (Intendenta) 2006-7 |
| Arica (Arica y Parinacota) Population: 175,441 (2002)**; City's est popl. 185,000+ in 2007 (Wikipedia) www.muniarica.cl |
Waldo Santán Martínez (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Born 1967; civil engineer, Universidad de Tarapacá; city councilman 2000-2007, acting mayor 2007 Party: formerly PPD,*** independent in 2008 |
| Calama (Antofagasta) Population: 136,600 (2002) www.municipalidadcalama.cl |
Esteban Velázsquez Núñez (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Teacher; detained in protest August 2011 **** |
| Chillán - Chillán Viejo (Biobío) Population: 165,528 (2002) www.municipalidadchillan.cl |
Sergio Zarzar Andonie (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Born 1952; teacher, Universidad de Chile; headed Asociación Nacional de Futbol Profesional 2007 |
| Concepción (Biobío) Est. popl comuna 2012: 229,684 (Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas de Chile, INE) (Concepción Metropolitano/Gran Concepción pop. 2002: 848,023)** www.concepcion.cl |
Patricio Kuhn Artigues (Mr) | Voted in by city council, March 2010 (to 2012). Succeeded María Cecilia Jaque. | Born 1956; Universidad de Concepción, councilman to 2010; Won few votes in 2008 polls Party: UDI |
| Copiapó (Atacama) Est. popl. 2011: 200,000 www.copiapo.cl |
Maglio Honorio Cicardini Neyra (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Born 1958; politician/businessman. Universidad de Atacama; formerly Socialist, independent candidate 2008 |
| Iquique (Tarapacá) pop. Iquique-Alto Hospicio 2002: 214,586** www.municipioiquique.cl |
Myrta Dubost Jiménez (Ms) | Mayor 1986-91; voted in April 2007 by council, after courts dismissed elected mayor Jorge Soria Quiroga; term to 2012 | Party: UDI |
| La Serena (Coquimbo) INE est popl. 2011: 214,685 (2012: 219,591) www.laserena.cl/portal/ |
Raul Saldivar Auger (Mr) | Mayoral terms 1992-4, 2004-8, 2008-12 | Born 1951; teacher/lecturer; provincial governor Elqui 1994-2000 |
| Los Angeles (Biobío) Est. popl. for comuna 2011: 201,426 (INE) www.losangeles.cl |
Eduardo Neftali Borgoño Bustos (Mr) | Voted in 2011 after mayor Josel Rosales resigned. | Born 1952; teacher, Universidad Católica de Temuco. Taught in rural schools; councilman 2000, 2004. |
| Osorno (Los Lagos) Population: 132,245 (2002); (est. 160,000 in 2005) www.municipalidadosorno.cl |
Jaime Alberto Bertin Valenzuela (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Born 1954; accountant. Governor of Osorno province, then regional governor (intendente) Los Lagos, 2000-8 period.; |
| Puerto Montt (Los Lagos) Popl. (city website) est. 174,952 www.puertomonttchile.cl |
Rabindranath Quinteros Lara (Mr) | Elected mayor 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008-12 | Born 1943, dental surgeon; Universidad de Chile. Regional governor Los Lagos 1990-2000. Party: Socialist |
| Quillota (Valparaíso) Quillota-La Calera 2002 popl (incl. La Cruz, Hijuelas): 128,874 www.quillota.cl |
Luis Alberto Mella Gajardo (Mr) | Mayoral terms1992-6, 1996-2000, 200-4, 2004-8, 2008-12 | Born 1961; physician, Universidad de Valparaiso. Party: Christian Democrat (Partido Demócrata Cristiano) |
| Rancagua (O'Higgins) Population (incl. Machalí, Gultro, Los Lirios): 236,363 (2002)** www.rancagua.cl |
Eduardo Patricio Soto Romero (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Radio presenter, councilman 2004. Party: Regional UDI party chief before 2008. |
| Santiago de Chile (Región Metropolitana); Regional urban popl. (2002): 5,875,013 **; Est pop. Metropolitan Region 2009: 7,000,000+ www.gobiernosantiago.cl |
Metropolitan Region of Santiago is divided into six provinces, and 37 communes, 32 of which are in Santiago province. Mayors are for communes. | Mayoral term 2008-12 | |
| Talca (Maule) Population (including Maule, San Clemente, Pencahue): 208,907 (2002)**; est pop. comuna 2008: 235,000+; www.talca.cl |
Juan Enrique Castro Prieto (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-12 | Born 1959, businessman and politician. Founded firm Barraca de Fierros Castro 1994, firms expanded 2000s. Mayoral candidate for conservative Alianza 2008. |
| Temuco (Araucanía) Population 2010: 298,575; Gran Temuco 2010: 377,495 www.temucochile.com |
Miguel Angel Becker Alvear (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-2012 | Born 1961; transport firm director; son of Temuco mayor Germán Becker, brother of Germán Becker Alvear, member of parliament. |
| Valparaíso Metropolitano (Valparaíso) Population 2002 (incl. Valparaíso, Viña del Mar, Concón, Quilpué, Villa Alemana and Placilla de Peñuelas): 824,006** Popl. comuna 2002: 275,982**; Est. city popl. 2009: 308,000+ municipalidaddevalparaiso.cl |
Jorge Castro Muñoz (Mr) | Mayoral term 2008-2012 | Born 1956; business studies; city council member UDI 1992-2008 |
* Region in brackets: The territorial hierarchy is: Region, province, commune, the latter administered by the municipal council headed by a mayor.
** City population figures 2002, from Observatorio Urbano.
*** Chilean Parties: PPD – Partido por la Democracia (centre-left); UDI – Unión Democrata Independiente (conservative, in governing Coalición por el Cambio); PS – Partido Socialista; PDC – Christian Democrats; Alianza por Chile - alliance right-wing/liberal parties UDI, Renovación Nacional and liberals; now renamed Coalición por el Cambio.
**** see: http://www.elnortero.cl/
The City Mayors Foundation invites nominations for the 2012 World Mayor Prize
Jorge Castro Muñoz, Mayor of Valparaíso
Patricio Kuhn Artigues, Mayor of Concepción
Myrta Dubost Jiménez, Mayor of Iquique
Raul Saldivar Auger, Mayor of La Serena