Pedro Videla Riquelme

Pedro Nolasco del Carmen Videla Riquelme (7 January 1919 – 4 July 1998) was a Chilean lawyer, teacher and politician.

He was a member of the Falange Nacional, later of the Christian Democratic Party, and finally of the Christian Left. He served as Deputy for the 8th Departamental Group (Melipilla, San Antonio, San Bernardo and Maipo) from 1953 until the dissolution of Congress in 1973, completing five consecutive terms.

He was born in San Bernardo to Tomás Videla Escala and Clara Riquelme del Solar. He married Mónica María Eugenia Maldonado Paredes, with whom he had two children: Pedro and Paula.

He attended Escuela Pública No. 7 of San Bernardo, later studying in secondary schools in San Bernardo, Parral and Talca. He entered the University of Chile Law School, graduating in 1944.

As a student he worked as a Civil Registry officer between 1942 and 1945. After graduation he became a teacher of Sciences, History, Geography, Civic Education and Political Economy at the San Bernardo Evening High School. He also worked as a journalist for Plumadas (Talca) and the newspapers Más and El Rebelde (San Bernardo). He was vice president of the San Bernardo Chamber of Retail Commerce.

Videla joined the Falange Nacional in 1942. He served as delegate of the Law School during his student years and was president of the San Bernardo branch of the Chilean Workers’ Central. He was later elected councilman (regidor) for San Bernardo.

In the 1953 elections he was elected Deputy for the 8th Departamental Group (Melipilla, San Antonio, San Bernardo and Maipo), serving from 1953 to 1957. He sat on the Commissions of Constitution, Legislation and Justice; Interior Police and Rules; Social Assistance and Hygiene; Internal Government; Public Works; and the Special Investigative Commission on concessions and denials of rate increases (1954–1955).

In the 1957 elections he was re-elected for the 1957–1961 term, now as a member of the newly founded Christian Democratic Party. He remained on the same commissions and participated in the Investigative Commission on the 1958 events at the State Railways Workshops.

He was re-elected in the 1961 elections for the 1961–1965 term, serving on the Commissions of Interior Police and Rules; Internal Government; and Agriculture and Colonization.

In the 1965 elections he was re-elected for the 1965–1969 term. He joined the Commissions of Interior Police and Rules; Internal Government; Agriculture and Colonization; Finance; Internal Regime, Administration and Rules; Foreign Relations; the Joint Budget Commission; and the Special Investigative Commission on automobiles and televisions (1965–1966). Between 1965 and 1966 he was a member of the Christian Democratic Parliamentary Committee. On 14 May 1968 he was elected First Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies, a position he held until 4 June 1969.

In the 1969 elections he was again elected for the 1969–1973 term. He was part of the Commissions of Foreign Relations; the Joint Budget Commission; and the Constitutional Accusation against the Minister of the Interior (1969–1970).

In 1971, Videla left the Christian Democrats and joined the Christian Left, which became part of the Unidad Popular coalition.

Among the bills he sponsored that became law were Law No. 15.966 (12 December 1964) on prenatal family allowance for private sector employees and workers, and Law No. 16.588 (19 January 1967) authorizing a loan for the municipalities of San Antonio, Cartagena, Navidad and El Tabo.^[1]

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