Paulina Vodanovic

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Vodanovic and the second or maternal family name is Rojas.

Paulina Vodanovic
Member of the Senate of Chile
Incumbent
Assumed office
25 April 2023
Preceded byÁlvaro Elizalde
Undersecretary for the Chilean Army
In office
20 October 2015 – 11 March 2018
PresidentMichelle Bachelet
Preceded byGabriel Gaspar
Succeeded byJuan Francisco Galli
Personal details
Born (1971-09-20) 20 September 1971
Santiago, Chile
PartySocialist Party
(1989−present)
SpouseIván Candell
ChildrenTwo
Parent(s)Hernán Vodanovic
María Rojas
Alma materUniversity of Chile (LL.B) (LL.M)
OccupationPolitician
ProfessionLawyer

Paulina Eugenia Vodanovic Rojas (born 20 September 1971) is a Chilean politician who currently serves as president of the Socialist Party.[1][2][3]

A member of the Socialist Party of Chile, she has served as its president since 2022. She has been a senator for the Maule Region since April 2023, after being appointed by her party to complete the 2018–2026 term vacated by Álvaro Elizalde,[4] and was subsequently re-elected for the 2026–2034 term.

Vodanovic previously served as Undersecretary for the Armed Forces during the second administration of President Michelle Bachelet from 2015 to 2018, becoming the first woman to hold the position.[5]

Early life and education

Vodanovic was born in Santiago on 20 September 1971.[6] She is the daughter of María Rosa Rojas Verdugo and Hernán Vodanovic, a former senator and former minister of the Constitutional Court of Chile.[7]

She completed her secondary education at the Alliance Française and later at the Liceo Javiera Carrera in Santiago. She studied law at the University of Chile, qualifying as an attorney in 2003, and later earned a master's degree in public law at the same institution.[8]

Professional career

Vodanovic has practiced law in the private sector, litigating before the Supreme Court of Chile and the Courts of Appeal of Chile, as well as civil, labor, and family courts. She has also served as an arbitrator appointed by Santiago’s civil courts. In parallel, she has taught courses in political law, constitutional law, and introduction to law at the Universidad Autónoma de Chile and UNIACC University.[9]

A member of the Socialist Party of Chile since 1989, she served as head of the Legal Division of the Ministry of Justice between August 2014 and May 2015. She later became head of legal advisers and subsequently chief of staff to the Minister of Defense, José Antonio Gómez, in 2015.[9]

On 21 October 2015, President Michelle Bachelet appointed her Undersecretary for the Armed Forces, making her the first woman to hold the office.[10]

During her tenure, she addressed reforms to the military pension system, implemented new financial oversight policies following corruption cases, established sexual harassment protocols, and promoted human rights programs within the armed forces.[11]

After leaving office in 2018, she served as a council member of the Chilean Bar Association for the 2019–2021 term.[12]

Political career

In March 2020, Vodanovic was appointed president of the Horizonte Ciudadano Foundation, created by Michelle Bachelet, and also chaired its Human Rights Commission. In 2021, she served as a coordinator for Paula Narváez’s presidential primary campaign within the Unidad Constituyente coalition.[7]

In May 2022, she was elected to the Socialist Party’s Central Committee with the highest national vote count and was subsequently chosen as party president in June 2022.[13][14]

In April 2023, she was appointed to the Senate of Chile to fill the seat vacated by Álvaro Elizalde following his appointment as Minister Secretary-General of the Presidency.[15]

In April 2025, she was proclaimed by the Socialist Party as its presidential candidate for the 2025 Chilean presidential election, but later withdrew her candidacy later that month.[16][17]

References

  1. ^ "Presidenta del PS Paulina Vodanovic: 'La derecha está desnaturalizando el Estado Social y Democrático de Derecho'" (in Spanish). El Mostrador. 10 October 2022. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  2. ^ "PS elige a su directiva: Paulina Vodanovic es la nueva presidenta del partido" (in Spanish). Radio Pauta. 11 June 2022. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Presidenta del PS, Paulina Vodanovic: 'Hay que escuchar a la derecha, pero no estamos abiertos a que la Convención sea mixta'" (in Spanish). La Tercera. 12 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 December 2022. Retrieved 15 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Perfil: El fulminante ascenso de Paulina Vodanovic, ratificada por el PS para reemplazar a Álvaro Elizalde en el Senado". Ex-Ante. 23 April 2023. Archived from the original on 3 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Siete preguntas a Paulina Vodanovic, candidata a senadora por la RM". Diario Estrategia (in Spanish). 12 November 2021. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
  6. ^ "Anales de la República; Hernán Vodanovic". Anales de la República (in Spanish). 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Presidenta de fundación de Bachelet asume como coordinadora de la campaña de Paula Narváez". Ex-Ante (in Spanish). 28 January 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Gobierno de Chile; Subsecretaria para las Fuerzas Armadas". Gobierno de Chile (in Spanish). 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 20 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Biografía Subsecretaria Paulina Vodanovic Rojas". Subsecretaría para las Fuerzas Armadas (in Spanish). 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 22 March 2016. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  10. ^ "Bachelet nombra a Paulina Vodanovic como nueva subsecretaria de FF.AA". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 16 October 2015.
  11. ^ "La presidenta de Fundación Bachelet que asoma como carta para el Ministerio de Defensa". T13 (in Spanish). 23 December 2021. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  12. ^ "Consejeros". Colegio de Abogados de Chile (in Spanish). 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Paulina Vodanovic queda a la cabeza en elecciones del PS". El Dínamo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Paulina Vodanovic nueva presidenta del PS". Radio Universidad de Chile (in Spanish). 11 June 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Definitivo: Paulina Vodanovic reemplazará a Álvaro Elizalde en el Senado". Cooperativa.cl (in Spanish). 23 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Comité Central del PS proclama a Paulina Vodanovic como candidata presidencial". Emol (in Spanish). 12 April 2025. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
  17. ^ "Vodanovic: "Renuncié a la candidatura"". El Mostrador (in Spanish). 28 April 2025.
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