Carlos Briones

Carlos Octavio Briones Olivos (9 June 1914 – 19 January 2000) was a Chilean lawyer and politician, member of the Socialist Party of Chile (PS), of which he served as general secretary between 1985 and 1986. He twice served as Minister of the Interior in 1973 during the final months of President Salvador Allende’s government.

Biography Family and studies Born in Bulnes to Mamerto Briones and Flor Olivos, he was one of twelve siblings.

Due to his friendship with Allende, he accepted the post of Minister of the Interior in July 1973. Unlike many of his fellow party members, Briones was placed under house arrest before leaving voluntarily for Colombia, where he worked with the United Nations.

He returned to Chile in 1979, giving an interview to Qué Pasa magazine where he argued that under the 1925 Constitution he remained the "constitutional president of Chile". The statement led to his forced exile, first to Argentina, then to Mexico.