Carlos Vilches Guzmán

Carlos Alfredo Vilches Guzmán (born 20 October 1944) is a Chilean politician who served as deputy.

Early life and family He was born on 20 October 1944 in Santiago. He is married to Raquel Guggiana Solari and is the father of three children.

He completed his secondary education at Liceo de Hombres N° 7 José Toribio Medina in Ñuñoa, Santiago. He later studied Metallurgical Engineering at the School of Engineering of the Technical University of the State in Copiapó, graduating in 1973.

Professional career After graduating, he worked as head of the Manuel Antonio Matta plant of the National Mining Company of Chile (Enami) in Copiapó. He was also a researcher at the Metallurgy Department of INTEC in Santiago. He continued as an engineer in the Research and Development Department of the Compañía de Acero del Pacífico (CAP), later serving as plant manager and metallurgical quality control engineer at the same company.

Between 1978 and 1979, he worked for the Peruvian mining company Cobrex Limitada as head of the scrap copper smelting furnace construction project. He also served as administrator of the Domeyko plant of the Compañía Minera de Río Huasco until 1981.

In 1985, he was appointed manager of VTI Comunicaciones and Entel concessionaire for Copiapó. He was manager of new business at the Compañía Explotadora de Minas San Andrés and director of Compañía Minera Alianza. From 2014 onward, he joined the board of the company operating the San Andrés mine in Atacama and became a shareholder of Minera Alianza in the same region.

Political career He began his political activities in 1986 by participating in the formation of the National Labour Front (FNT), serving as its president in the Atacama Region. The following year, he took part in the formation of National Renewal (RN).

Between 1987 and 1988, he served as Regional Ministerial Secretary for the III Region. In 1988, he was appointed governor of the Province of Copiapó, serving until 1989.

Between 1990 and 2006, he was a deputy for District No. 5, Atacama Region, serving four consecutive terms until he decided not to seek re-election in 2005. In the parliamentary elections of 2009, he ran again and was elected for a new term representing the same district.