Frei Ruiz–Tagle, Eduardo (1942–)

The fourth of the seven children of the marriage of Eduardo Frei Montalva (president of Chile, 1964–1970) and María Ruiz-Tagle Jiménez, Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle was born in Santiago on June 24, 1942. In 1960 he became a civil engineering student at the Universidad de Chile. He graduated in 1966, specializing in hydraulics. In 1969 he resided in Italy, where he studied business administration. In 1967 he married Marta Larraechea, a family counselor, with whom he has four daughters. Between 1970 and 1982 he worked in the private sector. In 1982 Frei joined the opposition to Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship and in 1989 was elected to the Chilean Senate. In December 1993 Frei—a Christian Democrat running as the candidate of the Concertación alliance—was elected president of Chile for the 1994–2000 term of office with 57 percent of the popular vote. His presidency was marked by political stability and a combination of pro business and social policies. Since leaving office in March 2000, he has served as a Senator and in March 2006 he became the Senate's president.

See alsoChile, Political Parties: Christian Democratic Party (PDC); Frei Montalva, Eduardo.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Angell, Alan. Democracy after Pinochet: Politics, Parties, and Elections in Chile. London: Institute for the Study of the Americas, 2006.

Collier, Simon, and William F. Sater. History of Chile, 1804–1994. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Correa, Sofía et. al. Historia del siglo XX chileno. Santiago, Chile: Editorial Sudamericana, 2001.

                                                Luis Ortega