Francisco Figueroa (politician)
Francisco Figueroa | |
|---|---|
| Minister of National Assets | |
| In office 9 January 2025 – 11 March 2026 | |
| President | Gabriel Boric |
| Preceded by | Sebastián Vergara |
| Succeeded by | Catalina Parot |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 3 November 1986 |
| Party | Broad Front |
| Alma mater | University of Chile |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Journalist |
Francisco Figueroa Cerda (born 3 November 1986) is a Chilean journalist and politician.[1][2]
Biography
He completed his primary and secondary education at San Pedro Nolasco School in Vitacura. He later pursued higher education at the Institute of Communication and Image of the University of Chile.[3] He subsequently earned a master's degree in Culture and Society from the London School of Economics in the United Kingdom.
Political career
He began his political career during his university years as a member of Autonomous Left. Between 2009 and 2011, he served as vice president of the University of Chile Student Federation (FECh). In November 2010, he secured the vice presidency following a close election won by Camila Vallejo, a representative of the Communist Youth of Chile (JJCC).[4] He was one of the leading figures of the 2011 Chilean protests.[5] From 2012 to 2015, he served as director of Fundación Nodo XXI, a think tank linked to autonomist political thought.[6]
In the 2013 parliamentary elections, he ran as an independent candidate for the Chamber of Deputies of Chile in District 21, representing the communes of Ñuñoa and Providencia, but was not elected.[7] He later ran again in the 2017 parliamentary elections as a candidate for District 10, encompassing the communes of Santiago, Ñuñoa, Providencia, Macul, La Granja and San Joaquín, with the support of the Green Ecologist Party of Chile and under the list of the Broad Front, but was again unsuccessful.[8]
In 2016, following the fragmentation of the autonomist movement, he chose to remain within Izquierda Autónoma, while other members, including Gabriel Boric and Jorge Sharp, formed a separate organization known as the Autonomist Movement. In 2019, after an agreement to merge with the Citizens' Power party, Figueroa and the remaining IA membership joined the Comunes party,[9] which was dissolved in 2024 to integrate into the unified Broad Front party. Between March 2022 and August 2023, he served as chief of staff to the Minister of National Assets, Javiera Toro, a role he continued when she moved to the Ministry of Social Development and Family.[10]
In January 2025, he was appointed by President Gabriel Boric as Minister of National Assets, replacing Marcela Sandoval, who stepped down following controversy surrounding the government's purchase of the former residence of former president Salvador Allende.
References
- ^ "Francisco Figueroa es nombrado como nuevo ministro de Bienes Nacionales". Ministry of National Assets. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Quién es Francisco Figueroa, el ex dirigente estudiantil que fue nombrado como nuevo ministro de Bienes Nacionales". El Dínamo. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
- ^ "Periodista Francisco Figueroa es nuevo ministro de Bienes Nacionales: llamó a marcar "AC" el 2013". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ^ "Camila Vallejo es la nueva Presidenta de la FECh". Universidad de Chile. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ^ "De la camada de Estudiantes Autónomos, sus lazos con Boric y la FECh: los pasos del ministro de Bienes Nacionales". La Tercera (in Spanish). 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ^ "Presidente designó a Francisco Figueroa como nuevo ministro de Bienes Nacionales". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ^ "Francisco Figueroa anuncia su candidatura parlamentaria por Ñuñoa-Providencia". Radio Universidad de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ^ "Alberto Mayol es candidato, pero sigue con su reclamo: "No voy en igualdad de condiciones"". El Desconcierto (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-16.
- ^ "Autónomos: la cuna ideológica de Gabriel Boric". La Tercera (in Spanish). 2022-02-13. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
- ^ "Presidente designó a Francisco Figueroa como nuevo ministro de Bienes Nacionales". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 2025-01-14.