Sandra Amar Mancilla

Sandra Haydée Amar Mancilla (born 24 November 1955) is a Chilean politician who served as deputy.

Early life and education Amar was born on November 24, 1955, in Punta Arenas, Chile. She is the daughter of David Amar Casanova and María Mancilla Mercado.

Amar completed her primary and secondary education at the Liceo de Niñas de Punta Arenas between 1964 and 1972. Between 1973 and 1978, she studied at the University of Chile, where she earned a degree in Social Work with highest distinction on November 3, 1978.

She later obtained a Master's degree in Strategic Public Management and Local Development from the Universidad del Mar.

Professional career Between 1979 and 1981, Amar served as Head of the Community Organizations Section of the Municipal Social Department of the Municipality of Punta Arenas. From 1981 to 1992, she worked as Director of Community Development of the same municipality.

From 1993 to 1995, she worked as a social worker at Orion S.A. Between 1996 and 2001, she served as a consultant for Empresa Eléctrica de Magallanes S.A. (EDELMAG), in the human resources area.

Between 2002 and 2009, she was a lecturer in the Social Work program at the University of Magallanes.

Political career On March 26, 2010, Amar was appointed Regional Secretary (Seremi) of the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in the Magallanes Region. She held this position until 2014.

She ran as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies in the 2013 parliamentary elections for the former 60th electoral district, obtaining 6,581 votes (10.51%), without being elected.

In November 2016, she was appointed Head of the Community Development Directorate (DIDECO) of the Municipality of Punta Arenas, a position she held until August 2017, when she resigned to run for Congress as an independent candidate supported by the Independent Democratic Union.

In the 2017 parliamentary elections, she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies of Chile as an independent supported by the Independent Democratic Union within the Chile Vamos coalition, representing the 28th electoral district of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region, for the 2018–2022 term. She obtained 6,871 votes, corresponding to 12.11% of the total valid votes.

In January 2018, she formally joined the Independent Democratic Union, from which she resigned in July 2020 after voting in favor of the withdrawal of 10% of pension funds and being referred to the party's Supreme Tribunal.

In November 2021, she ran as an independent candidate for the Senate of Chile in a seat supported by the Independent Democratic Union for the 15th senatorial constituency of the Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica Region, for the 2022–2030 term. She obtained 4,047 votes (6.23%), and was not elected.