Adolfo Zaldívar

Miguel Adolfo Gerardo Zaldívar Larraín (September 13, 1943 – February 27, 2013) was a Chilean politician and lawyer.[1] He was senator for Aisén and from March 2008 until his death in February 2013 he had been President of the Chilean Senate. He was an historic member of the Christian Democratic Party until his expulsion from the political party in December 2007.

Adolfo Zaldívar
Chilean Ambassador to Argentina
In office
April 16, 2010  February 27, 2013
Preceded byMiguel Otero
Succeeded byMilenko Skoknic
Senator of Chile
For Aisen Region
In office
March 11, 1994  March 11, 2010
Preceded byHernán Vodanovic
Succeeded byPatricio Walker
President of the Senate of Chile
In office
March 12, 2008  March 13, 2009
Preceded byEduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
Succeeded byJovino Novoa
Personal details
Born(1943-09-13)September 13, 1943
Santiago, Chile
DiedFebruary 27, 2013(2013-02-27) (aged 69)
Resting placeParque del Recuerdo
NationalityChilean
Political partyPartido Regionalista de los Independientes (2009-2010)
Christian Democrat Party of Chile (1957–2007)
Spouse(s)María Alicia Larraín
OccupationLawyer

Zaldívar was married to María Alicia Larraín Shaux and had six children. He was the brother of former President of the Senate of Chile and Interior Minister Andrés Zaldívar.

Life and career

Early life

Zaldívar received secondary formation at the Instituto de Humanidades Luis Campino. Then, he went to university at the law faculty of the Catholic University in Chile, which he concluded in 1967. As a partner at the law firm "Irureta, Zaldivar, Briones y Hernández", he worked in his profession until he finished his studies.

Political life

In 1965 Zaldívar became the university party leader of the Christian Democrat Party (PDC), and from 1970 to 1972 he occupied the post of national counselor for youth of this party. In the following year he became the national leader of the lawyers of the PDC, and filled this position until 1980. He was a co-founder of the Chilean Commission of Human Rights.

From 1985 to 1988 Zaldívar was president of the Forum of Political Integration of Chile and Argentina. From 1983 to 1989 he was part of the fiscal commission of the PDC. Then from 1983 to 1990 he worked as national counselor of the PDC, then he became premier national vice-president.

In the elections of December 1993 Zaldívar was elected senator, and formed the senate's mining commission. He went on to form the commission on national defense and the commission of maritime interests, fishing and aquaculture. From 2002 to 2006 he was president of the PDC.

Party expulsion

In early 2006, after he lost the presidency of the PDC to Soledad Alvear, Zaldívar became a vocal critic of the Chilean economic system and voiced his disappointment with the government's "unwillingness" to amend it. He frequently came into conflict with Alvear and in August 2007 the Christian Democrat Party's Supreme Tribunal chastised him for his criticisms. Additionally, he was one of the harshest critics of the Transantiago public transport system, created under the leadership of the Concertación coalition to which the Christian Democrats belonged. In November 2007, Zaldívar, together with senators from the Alliance for Chile and independents Fernando Flores and Carlos Bianchi, voted against continued funding for the Transantiago, against the wishes of his party's leadership. Alvear and her followers accused Zaldívar of "siding with the right" and requested his expulsion from the party. In December, the party leadership formally presented the expulsion request to the Supreme Tribunal of the party, on the basis of his decision to ignore the party wishes on the Transantiago funding bill and for Zaldívar's harsh criticisms of the leadership's actions regarding corruption. The Tribunal finally decided to expel Zaldívar on December 27, 2007. On March 12, 2008 he became President of the Senate with the votes from the right-wing Alliance for Chile.

References

  1. "Adolfo Zaldívar: A los 69 años fallece el embajador de Chile en Argentina y ex senador | Política". La Tercera. 1990-01-01. Archived from the original on 2013-02-27. Retrieved 2013-02-27.
Political offices
Preceded by
Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle
President of the Senate of Chile
2008–2009
Succeeded by
Jovino Novoa
Party political offices
Preceded by
Ricardo Hormazábal
Christian Democrat Party President
2002–2006
Succeeded by
Soledad Alvear
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