President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
Flag of Chile
Emblem of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
Incumbent José Miguel Castro since 7 April 2025
Chamber of Deputies of Chile
Style	His Excellency The Honorable
Seat	National Congress of Chile, Valparaíso
Nominator	Political parties
Appointer	Chamber of Deputies of Chile
Term length	One legislative year
Constituting instrument	Constitution of Chile
Formation	July 4, 1811; 214 years ago (1811-07-04)
First holder	Juan Antonio Ovalle
Deputy	First Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies Second Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies
Salary	US$133,282 CLP$112,198,212
Website	Official website: http://www.camara.cl/

The President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile (in Spanish: Presidente de la Cámara de Diputadas y Diputados de la República de Chile) is the main leader of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile. This important role was created in 1811 by Chile's First National Congress.

This position is part of the line of succession for the presidency of Chile. It comes after the ministers of State and the president of the Senate of Chile. This order is set by the Constitution (Article 29).

Currently, José Miguel Castro from the National Renewal (RN) party holds this office. He became president on April 7, 2025, after Karol Cariola resigned.

How the President of the Chamber is Chosen
A Look at the History of the Presidency
What the President Does
How to Address the President
Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
- Presidential Republic (1990–present)
Timeline of Presidents
- Presidential Republic (1990–present)
See also

How the President of the Chamber is Chosen

The leaders of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile include a president, a first vice president, and a second vice president. These three people are chosen by a majority vote in a public election.

The president and vice presidents can be re-elected to their positions.

If the president of the Chamber resigns and the Chamber of Deputies accepts it, a new election is held. This election takes place 45 hours after the position becomes empty.

A Look at the History of the Presidency

Early Years: 1810–1814

The very first president of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile was Juan Antonio Ovalle. He was a lawyer and landowner. He was elected as a deputy for Santiago and became president of the First National Congress of Chile.

He served for 16 days before Martín Calvo Encalada took over.

On September 4, 1811, José Miguel Carrera led a revolution with his family's help. They wanted to create a more radical government. Joaquín Larraín, who helped with the revolution, became the new president of the Chamber.

Later, José Miguel Carrera ordered the Congress to close on December 2.

Congress was brought back in 1812, but it only had the Senate of Chile. This Senate stopped existing in 1814 after Chile lost the Battle of Rancagua.

New Nation: 1817–1823

Supreme Director Bernardo O'Higgins brought Congress back in 1818. It was a single legislative body, the Senate of Chile. A system with two parts (a Senate and a Chamber of Deputies) was planned in 1822.

However, this two-part system could not be started. This was because of political problems in the country. These problems followed O'Higgins' resignation in 1823.

A new constitution was written in 1823 during the time of Supreme Director Ramón Freire. This constitution created a single legislative body, the Senate of Chile.

The Chilean Civil War of 1891

Ramón Barros Luco.

By 1891, disagreements between the government and the Congress led to a war. Congress wanted to remove the government that was in power.

Ramón Barros Luco, who was president of the Chamber, signed a document to remove President José Manuel Balmaceda. This caused the Chilean Navy to rebel and support Congress.

Barros Luco was part of the group that managed parts of the country controlled by Congress during the war. After Congress won, Barros Luco helped oversee new elections.

Military Rule: 1973–1990

Congress was closed after the 1973 coup d'état. This event removed President Salvador Allende from power. A military junta led by General Augusto Pinochet took control.

Luis Pareto was the last president of the Chamber of Deputies before Congress was dissolved. He supported an agreement from August 23, 1973. This agreement accused Allende's government of trying to create a totalitarian system.

Return to Democracy: 1990–Present

Congress was brought back in March 1990 as Chile returned to democracy. Elections for president and parliament were held in December 1989.

María Maluenda, a supporter of human rights and former ambassador, was the temporary president of the Chamber. She served during its first meeting before José Antonio Viera-Gallo was elected.

In 2008, Juan Bustos, who was president of the Chamber, passed away. President Michelle Bachelet declared three days of national mourning. Guillermo Ceroni, the First Vice President, served as temporary president for a week. Then, Francisco Encina was elected.

In November 2019, some deputies asked Iván Flores, the president at the time, to resign. This was because he decided to stop activities for a day during the 2019–2020 Chilean protests. They felt this hurt the image of Congress. Later that month, protestors threw rocks at Flores' office in Valparaíso.

In April 2020, Diego Paulsen became the youngest person to hold the position. He was 32 years old.

What the President Does

Iván Flores leading a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies in 2019.

The president's main job is to lead the Chamber and keep order. If there is disorder, the president can ask people to leave. They can also ask for help from the Carabineros (Chilean police) to restore order.

The president of the Chamber can also say that certain bills or constitutional reforms are not allowed. This happens if they go against Article 65 of the Constitution of Chile. This article states that only the president of Chile can suggest changes to the country's political, administrative, or financial divisions.

How to Address the President

The president of the Chamber of Deputies is formally called "His Excellency". This title is used in official documents. All members of the Chamber of Deputies, including the president, are also called "The Honorable".

The president should be referred to in the third person, just like other members of the Chamber.

Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile

Presidential Republic (1990–present)

No.	Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office
1	María Maluenda (1920–2011)	11 March 1990	11 March 1990	Party for Democracy
2	José Antonio Viera-Gallo (born 1943)	11 March 1990	21 July 1993	Party for Democracy
3	Jorge Molina Valdivieso (born 1932)	21 July 1993	11 March 1994	Party for Democracy
4	Jorge Schaulsohn (born 1952)	11 March 1994	3 November 1994	Party for Democracy
5	Vicente Sota (1924–2017)	3 November 1994	14 March 1995	Party for Democracy
6	Jaime Estévez (born 1946)	14 March 1995	19 November 1996	Socialist Party
7	Gutenberg Martínez (born 1950)	19 November 1996	11 March 1999	Christian Democratic Party
8	Carlos Montes (born 1946)	11 March 1999	22 March 2000	Socialist Party
9	Víctor Barrueto (born 1953)	22 March 2000	3 March 2001	Party for Democracy
10	Luis Pareto (1928–2022)	3 March 2001	11 March 2002	Christian Democratic Party
11	Adriana Muñoz (born 1948)	11 March 2002	13 March 2003	Party for Democracy
12	Isabel Allende Bussi (born 1945)	13 March 2003	16 March 2004	Socialist Party
13	Pablo Lorenzini (1949–2025)	16 March 2004	6 January 2005	Christian Democratic Party
14	Gabriel Ascencio (born 1953)	6 January 2005	11 March 2006	Christian Democratic Party
15	Antonio Leal (1950–2021)	11 March 2006	20 March 2007	Party for Democracy
16	Patricio Walker (born 1969)	20 March 2007	13 March 2008	Christian Democratic Party
17	Juan Bustos (1935–2008)	13 March 2008	7 August 2008	Socialist Party
18	Guillermo Ceroni (born 1946)	7 August 2008	14 August 2008	Party for Democracy
19	Francisco Encina (born 1943)	14 August 2008	18 March 2009	Socialist Party
20	Rodrigo Álvarez (born 1966)	18 March 2009	11 March 2010	Independent Democratic Union
21	Alejandra Sepúlveda (born 1965)	11 March 2010	15 March 2011	Independent Regionalist Party
22	Patricio Melero (born 1956)	15 March 2011	20 March 2012	Independent Democratic Union
23	Nicolás Monckeberg (born 1973)	20 March 2012	3 April 2013	National Renewal
24	Edmundo Eluchans (born 1950)	3 April 2013	11 March 2014	Independent Democratic Union
25	Aldo Cornejo (born 1955)	11 March 2014	17 March 2015	Christian Democratic Party
26	Marco Antonio Núñez (born 1966)	17 March 2015	22 March 2016	Party for Democracy
27	Osvaldo Andrade (born 1953)	22 March 2016	22 March 2017	Socialist Party
28	Fidel Espinoza (born 1970)	22 March 2017	11 March 2018	Socialist Party
29	Maya Fernández (born 1971)	11 March 2018	19 March 2019	Socialist Party
30	Iván Flores (born 1955)	19 March 2019	7 April 2020	Christian Democratic Party
31	Diego Paulsen (born 1987)	7 April 2020	11 March 2022	National Renewal
32	Raúl Soto (born 1987)	11 March 2022	7 November 2022	Party for Democracy
33	Vlado Mirosevic (born 1987)	7 November 2022	24 July 2023	Liberal Party
34	Ricardo Cifuentes (born 1962)	24 July 2023	15 April 2024	Christian Democratic Party
35	Karol Cariola (born 1987)	15 April 2024	24 March 2025	Communist Party of Chile
36	José Miguel Castro (born 1974)	7 April 2025	Incumbent	National Renewal