Jorge Insunza (politician, born 1967)

Jorge Insunza Gregorio de Las Heras (born 12 February 1967) is a Chilean politician and lobbyist.^[1][2] He was minister during the second government of Michelle Bachelet.^[3][4][5]

After resuming his studies at Valentín Letelier High School, he left again following an attempted detention by the National Information Center (CNI) after participating in a school occupation. He subsequently traveled to Argentina, where he remained underground for six months.^[6]

In 1987 and 1988, he was a candidate for president of the Student Federation of Diego Portales University. In 1990, he resigned from the Communist Youth and in 1991 joined the Socialist Party of Chile. In 1996, he joined the Party for Democracy (PPD).^[6]

He was born in Santiago on 12 February 1967. He is the son of Jorge Insunza Becker and Magda Gregorio de Las Heras.^[6] He is married to Claudia Jara Meza and is the father of two children, Camila and Jorge.^[6]

He completed his primary education at the Experimental Manuel de Salas High School in Santiago and continued his studies at the Valentín Letelier High School in Recoleta. He completed his secondary education in 1985 through free examinations.^[6]

Between 1987 and 1989, he studied Law at the Diego Portales University, specializing in Political Analysis. He later continued his legal studies at the Bolivarian University of Chile (1994–1997 and 2003–2004), completing his coursework as a law graduate.^[6]

In 1992, he joined Civitas Consultores as a political analyst. In 1996, he participated in the founding of Sistema Consultores, a firm providing advisory services to governments, members of parliament, and companies in political scenario analysis, public opinion trends, crisis management, and market intelligence systems.^[6]

In 1998, he worked on the translation of the book Abrir Nuevos Mundos by Fernando Flores, Hubert Dreyfuss and Charles Spinosa. From 1999 to 2000, he directed the workshop Política y Poder of the Entrepreneurs' Club founded by Fernando Flores. He also served as a teaching assistant at Diego Portales University in the courses Fundamental Topics in Politics and Machiavelli and the Renaissance.

In the MBA programme at the Adolfo Ibáñez University, he taught the courses Negotiation and Power and Situation and Actors Assessment.^[6]

In 1983, he entered politics as a student leader, founding a Democratic Committee to oppose the military dictatorship and joining the Communist Youth. In 1984, he was expelled from school for participating in political activities linked to the secondary student movement in Santiago, which laid the groundwork for the reestablishment of the Federation of Secondary Students of Santiago (FESES).

As a political analyst, he advised the governments of Presidents Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle and Ricardo Lagos, as well as the Board of the Chamber of Deputies. He also collaborated with Sergio Bitar in drafting political speeches. In 1997, he designed and advised the parliamentary campaign of Patricio Hales.^[6]

In 2000, he was elected a member of the National Directorate of the Party for Democracy (PPD) and between 2000 and 2004 was part of its negotiation and leadership teams for the municipal elections. In 2002, he joined its Political Commission.

In 2001, he served as campaign manager for Fernando Flores' senatorial campaign in the Tarapacá Region.^[6] In December 2005, he was elected Deputy representing the Party for Democracy for District No. 28 of the Santiago Metropolitan Region, comprising the communes of Lo Espejo, Pedro Aguirre Cerda and San Miguel, obtaining 37,292 votes (24.53%).^[6]

In the parliamentary elections of December 2009, he sought re-election for the same district but was not elected, obtaining 36,004 votes (24.61%).^[6] In the parliamentary elections of 2013, he was elected Deputy for 9th District of the Coquimbo Region representing the Party for Democracy, obtaining 15,474 votes (28.46%).^[6]

On 11 May 2015, he resigned his seat in the Chamber of Deputies to assume the office of Minister Secretary General of the Presidency during the second government of President Michelle Bachelet. He resigned from that position on 7 June 2015.^[6]

In 2021, he was a candidate for the Constitutional Convention for District No. 13 representing the Party for Democracy, but was not elected (2.03%). In 2023, he ran as a candidate for the Constitutional Council representing the PPD within the Todo por Chile list in the Coquimbo Region but was not elected, obtaining 5.19% of the vote.^[6]

In the parliamentary elections of 16 November 2025, he ran as a candidate for Deputy for District No. 5 of the Coquimbo Region representing the PPD within the Unidad por Chile pact. He was not elected, obtaining 9,562 votes (2.14% of the valid votes cast).^[6]

• Profile at BCN