Sebastián Sichel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sebastián Sichel
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Sichel in 2019
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| Mayor of Ñuñoa | |
| Assumed office 6 December 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Emilia Ríos |
| President of the Banco del Estado de Chile | |
| In office 4 June 2020 – 18 December 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Arturo Tagle |
| Succeeded by | Ricardo de Tezanos Pinto |
| Minister of Social Development | |
| In office 19 June 2019 – 4 June 2020 |
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| President | Sebastián Piñera |
| Preceded by | Alfredo Moreno Charme |
| Succeeded by | Cristián Monckeberg |
| Executive Vice President of the CORFO | |
| In office 9 March 2018 – 13 June 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Eduardo Bitrán |
| Succeeded by | Pablo Terrazas |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Sebastián Andrés Sichel Ramírez
30 July 1977 Santiago, Chile |
| Political party |
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| Spouse | Bárbara Encina (m. 2008) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residences | Las Condes, Chile |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Lawyer |
Sebastián Sichel (born 30 July 1977) is a Chilean lawyer and politician. He is the mayor-elect for Ñuñoa, a city in Chile. He has also served in important government roles.
Sichel was the president of the Banco del Estado de Chile (BancoEstado), which is a state-owned bank, from June to December 2020. Before that, he was the Minister of Social Development and Family. He also led Corfo, a government agency that supports businesses. These roles were part of the second government of President Sebastián Piñera.
In 2021, he ran for president of Chile as an independent candidate. He was supported by the centre-right Chile Podemos Más group. In 2010, he helped start El Dínamo, an online newspaper that covers news about politics, culture, and sports.
Early Life and Education
Sebastián Sichel was born in Santiago, Chile. His parents are Antonio Alejandro José Sichel Poblete and Ana María Ramírez Alvarado. When he was born, his last name was registered as Sichel.
Later, his mother married Saúl Iglesias, and Sebastián's paternal last name was changed to Iglesias. When he was 11, he learned that Saúl Iglesias was not his biological father. He met his biological father at age 30. After that, he changed his paternal last name back to Sichel. He kept Iglesias as a middle name to honor his stepfather.
He went to school at María Goretti Lyceum and Alexander Fleming Lyceum. He then studied law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (PUC). He also earned a master's degree in public law from the same university. From 2016 to 2018, Sichel Ramírez taught constitutional law at the San Sebastián University.
In 2008, he married Bárbara Encina, who is a journalist. They have three children together.
Political Journey
Sebastián Sichel has been involved in politics for many years. In 2013, he ran for a position in parliament to represent the areas of Las Condes, Vitacura, and Lo Barnechea. His campaign was supported by the Public Force movement. This group later became the Citizens party, founded by Andrés Velasco.
In 2015, he left the Christian Democratic Party. He had been a member since 1990. In 2016, he was considered as a possible presidential candidate for the Citizens party.
From 2013 to 2018, he led the Plural Chile Study Center. This center focused on public issues. During his time there, the center received funding from the Open Society Foundations.
In 2016, Plural Chile suggested changing a law that limited the number of foreign employees a company could hire. Sichel believed that Chile needed more immigration to help its economy grow. He thought that some politicians were not taking the issue seriously.
In 2017, he decided to support Sebastián Piñera for president. This was a different path from Andrés Velasco, who was a leader in his party.
Government Roles
On 2 May 2018, President Piñera appointed Sichel as the executive vice president of Corfo. This made him the first member of the Citizens party to hold such a high government position. He took charge of important contracts related to lithium mining.
On 13 June 2019, he became the Minister of Social Development and Family. He held this role until 4 June 2020.
In March 2019, Sichel left the Citizens party. He then helped create a new political movement called Libres ("Free"). This group was formed by former members of the Citizens party.
After his time as Minister of Social Development, he was appointed president of BancoEstado in June 2020. He served in this role until December 2020.
Presidential Campaign
After leaving BancoEstado, Sichel announced he wanted to run for president. He decided to be an independent candidate in the primary election for the centre-right group Chile Podemos Más.
On 18 July 2021, he won the primary election. He received 49% of the votes, beating three other candidates. This made him the official presidential candidate for the coalition. Many business leaders supported his campaign.
In the presidential election on 21 November 2021, Sichel received about 12.79% of the votes. He finished fourth out of seven candidates and did not move on to the second round of voting. He then supported José Antonio Kast in the second round.
See also
In Spanish: Sebastián Sichel para niños
