Gustavo Benavente

Gustavo Adolfo Alberto Benavente Vergara (born 13 August 1966) is a Chilean politician who serves as deputy.

Early life and education He was born on 13 August 1966 in San Isidro, Longaví, Chile. He is the son of Gustavo Benavente Zañartu and Leonor Vergara Silva. He is married to María Magdalena Ruiz-Tagle Silva and is the father of five children.

He studied law at the Gabriela Mistral University, where he earned a degree in Legal and Social Sciences with a thesis entitled “Carlos Ibáñez del Campo: 1927–1931, 1952–1958” (1994). He qualified as a lawyer on 25 July 1994.

Professional career In his professional practice, he served as chief legal counsel at the Duoc Foundation and as legal counsel of the Pacific Railroad Company (Empresa de Ferrocarriles del Pacífico S.A., FEPASA). In early 2001, he joined the law firm Tagle, Cifuentes y Cía Abogados, eventually becoming one of its principal partners.

Political career He is a member of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI) and has served as a legislative adviser on various legislative initiatives.

In August 2021, under the campaign slogan “New Energy for Southern Maule”, he presented his candidacy for the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, representing the Independent Democratic Union within the Chile Podemos Más coalition, in the 18th District of the Maule Region. This district includes the communes of Cauquenes, Chanco, Colbún, Linares, Longaví, Parral, Pelluhue, Retiro, San Javier, Villa Alegre, and Yerbas Buenas. He was elected with 8,099 votes, corresponding to 6.88% of the valid votes cast.

He ran for re-election in the same district in the parliamentary elections held on 16 November 2025, representing the Independent Democratic Union within the Chile Grande y Unido coalition. He was not elected, obtaining 10,884 votes, equivalent to 4.46% of the total votes cast.