Juan Ramón Núñez

Juan Ramón Nuñez Valenzuela (18 October 1943 – 21 December 2025) was a Chilean politician who served as deputy. He was a member of the Christian Democratic Party.^[1][2]

He was born on 18 October 1943 in Rancagua, the son of Humberto Núñez and Elena Valenzuela.^[3] He married Rosa Ester Bustamante Soto, with whom he had five children: Juan Osvaldo, Claudia Ximena, Pamela Andrea, Rosa Alejandra and Daniela Isabel.^[3]

He completed his secondary education at the Liceo Nocturno de Rancagua and later entered the University of Chile, where he studied Law for one year.^[3]

His working life included a wide range of occupations. At age 18, he worked as an assistant at the "O’Higgins" pharmacy in Rancagua, and later as a transport assistant for the company "Renato Kalm", distributing pharmaceutical products between Santiago and Concepción. Between 1965 and 1969, he worked as a promoter of rural drinking water cooperatives between the IV and VIII regions and in a rural sanitation office.^[3]

From 1970 to 1973, he was an official at the Instituto de Desarrollo Agropecuario (INDAP), from which he was dismissed in December 1973 for political reasons. He subsequently worked as a laborer at the Caletones smelter of El Teniente (Codelco), and later in various private and public positions, including at Servimaq in Rancagua, the commercial company “Popayán” in Santiago, and the Real Estate Registry of Rancagua. He also collaborated as a research assistant to sociologist Claudio Orrego Vicuña on constitutional reform studies.^[3]

He began his political activities in 1961 upon joining the Christian Democratic Party (DC). He held several party positions, including communal and provincial president of the party’s youth wing and national youth councillor. He also played a role in developing trade union organizations.^[3]

Between 1972 and 1973, he served as regional president of INDAP workers and as provincial vice president of the Central Unitaria de Trabajadores (CUT) of O’Higgins. During his time as a worker at El Teniente, he became president of the smelter’s mutual association. From 1977 onward, he helped reorganize the DC in Rancagua and in 1982 became secretary of the Christian Democratic Workers’ Front in the city.^[3]

In 1988, he served as provincial president of the “No” campaign in the plebiscite of 5 October 1988. The following year, he became provincial president of the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia in Cachapoal, resigning to assume the position of Intendant of the VI Region from March 1990 to March 1994 during the presidency of Patricio Aylwin.^[3]

After serving as Intendant, he held various administrative roles, including regional president of the Corporación Santo Tomás and executive secretary of interministerial committees for regional development. In 1997, he was elected deputy for District No. 34 (Chimbarongo, Las Cabras, Peumo, Pichidegua, San Fernando, and San Vicente), VI Region, for the 1998–2002 term. He obtained the highest vote in the district with 18,071 votes (22.39%).^[3]

In 2001, he ran for deputy in District No. 32 (Rancagua) but was not elected.^[3]

In September 2005, he was appointed by President Ricardo Lagos as Intendant of the O’Higgins Region, serving until March 2006. Later, he was again appointed Intendant by President Michelle Bachelet from August 2009 to March 2010.^[3]

In the 2012 municipal elections, he was elected councilor of Rancagua (Concertación Democrática list) with 1,863 votes (9.52%) for the 2012–2016 term.^[3]

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