Rubén Gajardo

Rubén Gajardo Chacón (born 26 April 1936) is a Chilean politician and lawyer who served as a deputy.

Biography He was born in Valparaíso on 26 April 1936, the son of Olga Chacón and Luis Rubén Gajardo.

In 2010, he married Érika Basáez Ponce, with whom he had a daughter, Olga. Previously, he was married to María Inés Morales and they had one son.

He completed his primary education in public schools in Casablanca, Valparaíso and San Bernardo, and his secondary education in Osorno, Cauquenes and Santiago. After finishing school, he entered the University of Chile Faculty of Law and was admitted as a lawyer on 7 August 1967.

In his professional career, he served as clerk of various criminal courts in Santiago and as judicial agent in Maule and Valdivia. He also worked as lawyer for the Corporación de Fomento de la Producción (CORFO).

He also worked in academia as Professor of Labour Law at the University of the North.

Political career His political career began when he assumed the vice-presidency of the Christian Democratic Youth (JDC). Later, in Antofagasta, he served as president of the Professionals’ Front of the Christian Democratic Party; in 1983, he became provincial president and head of doctrinal training and education.

He was president of the Democratic Alliance of Antofagasta, representing the Christian Democratic Party, and was also member of the Assembly of Civility.

In the 1989 parliamentary elections, he was elected Deputy for District No. 4—comprising the communes of Antofagasta, Mejillones, Sierra Gorda and Taltal—for the 1990–1994 term, obtaining 35,630 votes (29.78% of valid votes). In 1993, he was re-elected for the 1994–1998 term with the highest district majority, obtaining 43,761 votes (37.78% of valid votes). In 1997, he failed to secure a third term, despite obtaining the second highest vote with 27,348 votes (27.21% of valid votes).

In 2000, he was appointed Regional Ministerial Secretary of Justice, a position from which he resigned on 19 May of the same year.

In 2004, he was elected Councillor of the Municipality of Antofagasta, obtaining 5,894 votes (6.38% of valid votes) for the 2004–2008 term. Before completing his term, he ran for re-election but was not elected.

Since 2007, he has served as Dean of the Faculty of Law of the University of Antofagasta.