Sebastián Piñera

Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (December 1, 1949 – February 6, 2024) was the President of Chile from 2010 to 2014 and again from 2018 until 2022. He was elected once again in the 2017 presidential election.

Sebastián Piñera
34th and 36th President of Chile
In office March 11, 2018 – March 11, 2022
Preceded by	Michelle Bachelet
Succeeded by	Gabriel Boric
In office March 11, 2010 – March 11, 2014
Preceded by	Michelle Bachelet
Succeeded by	Michelle Bachelet
Leader of National Renewal
In office May 26, 2001 – March 10, 2004
Preceded by	Alberto Cardemil
Succeeded by	Sergio Díez
Senator for Eastern Santiago
In office March 11, 1990 – March 11, 1998
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Carlos Bombal
Personal details
Born	Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique (1949-12-01)December 1, 1949 Santiago, Chile
Died	February 6, 2024(2024-02-06) (aged 74) Ranco Lake, Chile
Political party	National Renewal (1989–present, membership suspended while president)
Other political affiliations	Coalition for Change (2009–2013) Chile Vamos (2015–present)
Spouse(s)	Cecilia Morel (1973–2024)
Children	4
Alma mater	Pontifical Catholic University of Chile Harvard University
Signature
Website	Official website

He won the second round of the presidential election that took place on January 17, 2010, and subsequently took office on March 11, 2010. He was a well-known economist, investor, businessperson, politician, former Senator, and leader of the presidential and parliamentary electoral coalition Coalition for Change. He was a billionaire and one of the richest people in Chile.

Presidential Elections 2009–2010

Piñera ran for President of Chile in the 2009-2010 election. Since August 2009, he led in opinion polls, competing with Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle, Marco Enríquez-Ominami and Jorge Arrate; all of whom are left-of-center candidates. In the election of December 13, 2009, Piñera placed first in the results by obtaining 44.05 % of the votes, while Frei placed second by obtaining 29.6 % of the votes. Since neither candidate received more than half of the total votes, Chileans returned to the polls for a final run-off election on Sunday, January 17, 2010.

Death

Piñera died in a helicopter crash on Ranco Lake on 6 February 2024. He survived the crash itself, but unable to remove his seat belt, he drowned as a result. The other three people on board were his sister Magdalena, businessman Miguel Ignacio Guerrero with his son Bautista Guerrero, all of whom survived. His body was later recovered from the sunken helicopter in the lake by the Chilean Navy.

In popular culture

Actor Bob Gunton portrays Piñera in the 2015 movie The 33, which is about the 2006 Copiapó mining accident.

Related pages

• 2019 Chilean protests