Matías Fernández Hartwig
Matías Fernández | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 11 March 2026 | |
| Constituency | 24th District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 February 1987 Concepción, Chile |
| Party | Broad Front |
| Profession | Dentist; Politician |
Matías José Fernández Hartwig[1] (born 16 February 1987)[2] is a Chilean dentist and politician affiliated with the Broad Front (FA). He was elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile representing the Region of Los Ríos for the 2026–2030 legislative term.[3][4]
Fernández Hartwig was born in Concepción[2] and trained as a dentist. He is known as a community-oriented political figure in the Los Ríos Region, engaging with local environmental causes, student activism and regional development.[5] He served as a Regional Councillor (CORE) for the Los Ríos Region for two consecutive terms prior to his election to the national legislature.[6]
Biography
He was born in Concepción on January 16, 1987. His parents are Luis Felipe Fernández Larraguibel and Carolina Hartwig Rivera.[7]
He was raised in different areas of Valdivia, where he has lived since the age of two, following the relocation of his parents—both originally from Concepción—to the capital of the Los Ríos Region.[7]
He completed his secondary education at Colegio Camilo Henríquez de Valdivia, graduating in 2004.[7]
He studied Dentistry at the Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh) and has completed diploma programs in Decentralization, Public Administration, and Municipal Administration.[7]
Since 2014, he has worked as a dentist at the University Health Center of the UACh. He also served as a university lecturer in Dentistry at the Universidad San Sebastián between 2016 and 2018.[7]
In the field of health, he has worked in clinical care—both public and private—university teaching, and social programs such as Más Sonrisas para Chile in Panguipulli. He also participated in the health research area of Fundación CREA and was a founding member of the organization Salud en Marcha in 2016.[7]
Political career
His first steps in public life were linked to local environmental activism, participating in the Movimiento por los Cisnes.[7]
During his university years, he was a student leader of the Dentistry Student Center, actively participated in the 2011 student movement, and served as president of the National Association of Dentistry Students (ADEO) in 2012.[7]
He was part of the founding generation of the Frente Amplio (FA) in the Los Ríos Region, contributing territorial experience and coordination with social and environmental organizations.[7]
His first electoral candidacy was in 2016, running for councillor in Valdivia, where he achieved one of the six highest vote totals but was not elected.[7]
In 2017, he was elected Regional Councillor (CORE) for Los Ríos with 2,461 votes (2.44%), and was re-elected in 2021 with 4,149 votes (3.99%). During his two terms, he chaired the commissions on Health, Environment, Security, and Productive Development.[7]
Among the main initiatives during his tenure were the promotion of the Biotechnological Center in Máfil, the creation of Health and Security commissions, the development of vocational training programs for youth, the implementation of mobile dental clinics, the strengthening of Primary Health Care (APS), the establishment of a urological center in La Unión, public security programs for municipalities and community organizations, and transparency and gender parity measures within the CORE, including the live broadcasting of sessions.[7]
In 2025, he ran as a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies for the 24th District of the Los Ríos Region, focusing on labor, public health, decentralization, regional development, security, and environmental sustainability. On November 16, he obtained the third-highest vote total with 26,151 votes (10.2% of valid votes). He was the FA candidate with the highest percentage of votes among deputies elected in the regions.[7]
References
- ^ "Matías José Fernández Hartwig | DecideChile". www.decidechile.cl. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ a b Chile (2020). "Matías Fernández Hartwig. Reseñas biográficas parlamentarias". bcn.cl. Retrieved 2026-03-12.
- ^ "Matías Fernández alcanza su primer escaño como diputado por Los Ríos". Informa al Minuto. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
- ^ "Matías Fernández Hartwig – Candidate Frente Amplio Los Ríos". VotaFA. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
- ^ "Matías Fernández Hartwig, odontólogo valdiviano de 38 años y militante del Frente Amplio, fue elegido diputado por la Región de Los Ríos". Facebook. Retrieved 2025-11-22.
- ^ "Matías Fernández (@matiasporlosrios) – Instagram". Retrieved 2025-11-22.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Matías Fernández Hartwig — BCN". Library of the National Congress of Chile. Retrieved 20 March 2026.