Mario Desbordes
Mario Guillermo Desbordes Jiménez (born 15 October 1968) is a Chilean politician and former police officer of Carabineros de Chile. He became the Minister of Defense in July 2020.
Mario Desbordes | |
|---|---|
| Minister of Defense | |
| In office 20 July 2020 – 18 December 2020 | |
| President | Sebastián Piñera |
| Preceded by | Alberto Espina |
| Succeeded by | Baldo Prokurica |
| Deputy of the Republic | |
| In office 11 March 2018 – 28 July 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Creation of the charge |
| Succeeded by | Camilo Morán |
| Constituency | 8th District |
| President of Renovación Nacional | |
| In office 10 March 2018 – 20 July 2021 | |
| Preceded by | Cristián Monckeberg |
| Succeeded by | Francisco Chahuán |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 15 October 1968 Santiago, Chile |
| Political party | Renovación Nacional (2000–) |
| Alma mater | Universidad La República |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer Police officer |
Desbordes previously served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in Congress and was the president of National Renewal from 2018 to 2020. He also held the position of Secretary-General of his political party from 2010 to 2018 and was Undersecretary of Investigations during President Sebastián Piñera's first administration.
Known for his "social right-wing" project, Desbordes played a key role in the agreement for a plebiscite towards a new constitution to replace the 1980 Constitution in 2019. After the agreement, he announced to the press that he would vote "Approve" for a new constitution in the entry plebiscite held on October 25, 2020. However, two years later, he chose the "Reject" option in the exit plebiscite due to his dissatisfaction with the proposal from the Constitutional Convention.
In July 2021, Desbordes finished last in a four-way primary for the Chile Vamos coalition, ending his bid for the presidency.