Orlando Vargas
Orlando Vargas | |
|---|---|
| Mayor of Arica | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2024 | |
| Preceded by | Gerardo Espíndola |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 11 March 2010 – 11 March 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Iván Paredes |
| Succeeded by | Luis Rocafull |
| Constituency | 1st District |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 July 1952 |
| Party | Party for Democracy |
| Children | Four |
| Alma mater | Catholic University of the North |
| Occupation | Politician |
Orlando Severo Vargas Pizarro (born 13 July 1952) is a Chilean politician who served as deputy.
He is the current mayor of Arica.[1]
Early life and family
He was born on 13 July 1952 in the Peñachica nitrate office, near Pozo Almonte.[2]
He is married and is the father of four children: Cristian, Cinthia, Melisa, and Valeska.[2]
Professional career
Between 1958 and 1963, he completed his primary education at Escuela de Hombres Nº 14 in Arica and his secondary education at Liceo Industrial de Arica, graduating in 1970.[2] He studied at the Catholic University of the North, where he obtained the title of mechanical technician in 1973.[2]
After graduating, he worked as a teacher at the Liceo Politécnico de Arica until 1976, when he was dismissed during the military regime.[2] He subsequently worked as a taxi driver and was involved in music with the group Los Halcones.[2]
Between 1978 and 1983, he worked as a technician at General Motors.[2] In 1984, he founded Ovapi Producciones, an event production company currently directed by his son Cristian Vargas Morales.[2] At the same time, he was active as a sports, social, and cultural leader in the San José neighborhood of Arica, working in youth drug rehabilitation initiatives.[2]
In 1998, he became a communications entrepreneur by acquiring Radio Golondrina of Arica, later renamed Puerta Norte, where he hosted social assistance programs.[2] In 2007, he launched another radio project, Frecuencia Top, and created the newspaper Puerta Norte.[2] From 2014 onward, he resumed his activity at Radio Puerta Norte as a commentator and interviewer.[2]
Political career
In the 1980s, he was a neighborhood leader in the San José district of Arica for more than a decade.[2] In 2002, he resigned from the Socialist Party of Chile.[2] In 2008, he briefly joined the Party for Democracy (PPD), resigning in April of the same year.[2]
In the 2004 municipal elections, he ran as an independent candidate for mayor of Arica but was not elected.[2] In 2008, he was elected independent councilor of the Municipality of Arica, later resigning to run for deputy.[2]
In December 2009, he was elected deputy as an independent supported by the PPD, representing District No. 1 (Arica, Camarones, General Lagos, and Putre) in the XV Region of Arica and Parinacota.[2]
In the parliamentary elections of November 2013, he ran again for deputy for the same district but was not elected.[2]
On 27 October 2024, he was elected mayor of Arica as an independent candidate, obtaining 31.98% of the valid votes cast.[2]
References
- ^ "Alcalde de Arica, Orlando Vargas, se encuentra sedado y conectado a ventilación mecánica tras sufrir de Covid-19". La Tercera. 1 March 2025. Retrieved 13 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t "Orlando Severo Vargas Pizarro". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-02-15.