Joaquín Lavín

Joaquín José Lavín Infante ( born October 23, 1953 in Santiago de Chile) is a Chilean politician and member of the strongly right-wing Unión Demócrata Independiente (UDI ), which was founded in the 1980s. He ran unsuccessfully for the presidency 1999/2000 and 2005/2006 for the post of President of Chile. From 2010 to 2011, he served as Minister of Education.

Life

Under Pinochet

Lavín was during the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet admirer and one of the founders of the right-wing party Unión Independiente Demócrata. At his foster fathers were next to the dictator also its ideological adviser Jaime Guzmán.

Lavín was the Chicago Boys close to the reformed economy of the country during the reign of Pinochet. In the years 1981-1986 Lavín was the editor of the business section of the influential newspaper El Mercurio. He later headed a cautious distancing from Pinochet.

Since the transition

Since 1992 he was mayor of the wealthy district of Las Condes in the capital Santiago de Chile and was re-elected in 1997 with an overwhelming majority. In the presidential elections in December 1999 and the run-off election in January 2000 Lavín ran as candidate of the Alianza por Chile. It was the first time since the transition, that the two right-wing parties and the UDI Renovación Nacional ( RN ) could not agree on a common candidate. The most promising candidate for the RN, Sebastián Piñera, was located in an internal power struggle not prevail against Lavín, but was his campaign manager. In his election program Lavín called for more work, better health care and less crime with which he spoke to the poorer population in the first place. He tried to convey the message that previous politicians had had its day, and instead, a new type of politician is required. This earned him criticism since Pinochet had always spoken disparagingly during the military dictatorship of the " gentlemen politicians ". In the first round Lavín scored 47.3 percent of the vote, which he was only just behind the candidate of the governing coalition, Ricardo Lagos, who had received 47.9 percent. The runoff election was finally able Lagos decide for themselves.

In the presidential elections 2005/2006 Lavín ran again, but this time only for the UDI, because the right alliance was broken. The RN sent with the 1999 nor the hapless Sebastian Pinera its own candidate in the race. Lavín sat in the election campaign committed to want to fight social inequality and to be constructed on remote islands prisons. In the first round Lavín ended up with 23.2 percent of the vote only in third place and could not unlike Piñera qualify for the ballot. Even on election night he secured Piñera to his support for the ballot, but the candidate of the governing alliance, Michelle Bachelet won. After Piñera had won the presidential election in Chile 2009/2010, he made Lavín in his cabinet as Minister of Education.

Resignation

As a result of today continuing student protests in Chile, however, this had to resign from his post in July 2011. The demands for free, entprivatisierter and better education - " egalitarian, public and free education " is enshrined in the Chilean Constitution as a social right - Lavín had follow up only lip service In addition, he was accused, he would about his involvement in the private Universidad. de Desarrollo benefit from the current education system, which is why he could be interested in reforms hardly. his successor was the former Justice Minister Felipe Bulnes, Lavín took on the leadership of the Ministry of Planning.

Private

Lavín has seven children. He is a member of the Catholic Opus Dei.