Salvador Urrutia

Salvador Urrutia
Mayor of Arica
In office
6 December 2012 – 6 December 2016
Preceded byOsvaldo Abdala
Succeeded byGerardo Espíndola
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
11 March 1994 – 11 March 2002
Preceded byLuis Leblanc
Succeeded byPedro Araya Guerrero
Constituency1st District
Personal details
Born (1942-07-07) 7 July 1942
Party
ChildrenFour
Alma materUniversity of Concepción
OccupationPhysician

Salvador Pedro Urrutia Cárdenas (born 7 July 1942) was a Chilean politician who served as deputy.

Between 2012 and 2016 he served as mayor of Arica representing the Progressive Party.[1] He later left the party and ran as an independent (in a PPD quota) for senator for the Region of Arica and Parinacota in the 2017 parliamentary elections, but was not elected.[2]

In 2023 he ran as candidate for the Constitutional Council as an independent in a PPD quota on the "Todo por Chile" list in the Region of Arica and Parinacota. He was not elected, obtaining 8.73% of the vote.[2]

Biography

He was born in Valdivia on 17 July 1942, the son of Luis Urrutia Ibáñez and Blanca Cárdenas.[2] He married Lidia María Oliva Portilla and is the father of four children.[2]

He completed his primary and secondary education at the Liceo de Valdivia.[2]

After finishing school, he entered the University of Concepción, where he obtained the degree of medical surgeon with a specialization in ophthalmology. He later completed postgraduate studies at the University of Chile.[2]

As a physician, he was in charge in Arica of the Tuberculosis Control Program and the Rural Health Program. He also held various professional positions, including Head of the Ophthalmology Service and general practitioner for the area.[2]

He participated in Chilean medical societies in his specialty and was a member of the Pan American Society of Ophthalmology. He was also appointed president of the Federation of Professional Associations and of the Chilean Medical Association.[2]

Political career

His political activity began as a leader and later president of the Regional Medical Association of Arica.[2]

In 1987 he was one of the founders of the Party for Democracy (PPD). At the same time, he was appointed president of the Concertación de Partidos por la Democracia in Arica.[2]

In 1988 he served as a leader of the "No" Campaign in his region and was elected deputy executive secretary of the Committee for Free Elections. He was later appointed acting governor of Arica.[2]

In 1990 he became director of the Arica Health Service and was founder and executive secretary of the Arica Anti-Drug Committee.[2]

In December 1993 he ran as candidate for deputy for District No. 1 of the I Region (Arica, Camarones, General Lagos and Putre). He was elected with the highest district vote for the 1994–1998 term, obtaining 35,928 votes (43.04%).[2]

In December 1997 he was re-elected for the 1998–2002 term with 14,358 votes (21.28%). In 2001 he ran for re-election, obtaining 13,708 votes (19.21%), but was not elected due to the binominal electoral system.[2]

He resigned from the Party for Democracy in 2009.[2]

In the 2009 parliamentary elections he was a candidate for senator for the Region of Arica and Parinacota. Although he placed second with 47,087 votes (27.96%), he was not elected due to the binominal system.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Alcalde Salvador Urrutia: En Arica "no tenemos dinastías políticas"". El Morrocotudo. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 18 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p "Salvador Urrutia Cárdenas". Biblioteca del Congreso Nacional de Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 February 2026.