Who was Sebastián Piñera, the former president who overcame a 'thousand' crisis in Chile?

Was the president of Chilee when the world marveled at the rescue of the 33 miners who survived, more than two months, trapped in a mine in San José de Atacama, in 2010. That same year in which they faced an earthquake that left more than 500 dead and , almost a decade later, would have to face the social outbreak and the pandemic. Four moments that show the spirit of the former president Sebastián Piñera (2010-2014 and 2018 – 2022) and the prominence he has had in the recent history of his country.

His death, officially confirmed, when the news was already on the front page of dozens of international media, unleashed pain and mourning, after the accident of his private helicopter in Lake Rancoan area located in the south of Chili.

“There were four crew members on the helicopter, three of them were able to reach the shore by their own means, and they are out of danger, but this was not the case with the fourth crew member who was former president Sebastián Piñera,” said the Minister of the Interior of Chile. , Carolina Tohá, who was the first voice of Gabriel Boric's government to confirm the news. Minutes later, the Chilean president's condolences would arrive, who highlighted the political legacy of his predecessor. “He contributed from his vision to building great agreements for the good of the country. He was a democrat from the first hour and genuinely sought what he believed was best for the country.” The Government also decreed three days of national mourning and a state funeral for the former president.

The death of the former president, who was in one of his summer homes in Coique Bay, occurred after the accident of his Robinson R66 helicopter, in which his sister Magdalena Piñera Echenique, the businessman Miguel Ignacio Guerrero and his son Bautista were also traveling. Warrior. The Chilean Navy managed to reach the place, located 780 kilometers south of Santiago, and recover the body of the former president, whose death paralyzed not only his country, but also several in Europe and Latin America, whose leaders expressed their condolences.

“Surprised and saddened by the death of Sebastián Piñera, former president of Chile. We work to strengthen the relationship between our countries and we always had a good dialogue, when we were both presidents and also when we were not,” said the president of Brazil. Luis Inazio Lula Da Silva on the social network X, in which the leaders of Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela, Peru, among others in the region, also expressed their condolences.

The national government also expressed its regret for the tragic death of the former Chilean president and highlighted his leading role in the search for peace in our country. “This is the occasion to highlight the close relationship he had with Colombia during his two terms (2010–2014 and 2018–2022), as well as the contributions that were made since his administration to achieve peace in Colombia,” said the Chancellery from your account in X.

The President of a thousand crises

Born in Santiago on December 1, 1949, into a wealthy family close to the dictator Augusto Pinochet (1973-1990), Piñera voted NO in the historic 1988 Plebiscite, in which Chileans were asked if they wanted the military regime remained in power. More than twenty years later he would become the first conservative to come to power after the return to democracy.

“Sebastián Piñera represents one of the most important leaders for the right in Chile. With him they managed to return to power, after more than 50 years without being able to do so. Therefore, he was an important actor in that political sector,” he tells EL TIEMPO. the Director of the School of Government of the Central University of Chile, Marco Moreno.

A position shared by the director of the U. Finis Terrae International Affairs Observatory, Alberto Rojas, who highlighted the conciliatory nature of the former president. “He sought to promote and motivate right-wing parties to move closer to a democratic profile and where they compete on equal terms with the rest of the political spectrum.” Rojas highlights that during his two non-consecutive terms, Piñera had to face different milestones in which he demonstrated his leadership capacity and established himself as an international reference.

“The earthquake of February 27, 2010 and within its management the rescue of the 33 miners trapped in the San José mine stands out. Already in his second term, it is certainly a complex period where we see his management in the face of the pandemic, the speed and opportunity with which he obtained respirators and all types of medical supplies so that Chile could better face that tremendous test that was the pandemic,” said the political analyst.

However, his relationship with the business world always generated noise in the opposition that questioned the links of his companies with decision-making sectors, while Piñera established himself as one of the richest businessmen on the continent, with a fortune estimated at 2.9 billion dollarsaccording to Forbes.

“I have always admired Sebastián Piñera. I find him a very intelligent person, who used all his talents, a great leader. I always supported him in his first and second governments. I found that it was very difficult to govern in those circumstances of the social outbreak,” Soledad Lama, who was the first person to come to leave flowers at the door of her home in Santiago, told EL TIEMPO, where a crowd arrived to make rosaries. and pay tribute to the two-time president of Chile.

A mourning that crossed generations, as described by Emmanuel Sternal, an 18-year-old young man, who, visibly moved, told this newspaper about the moment he met the former president, when he was a child, and managed to take a photo with him. “The guards didn't want to let me pass but he approached and said, yes, okay, come on, come. And, for me, it is an incredible memory to have taken a photo with someone so important, that I saw on TV, and to see that he was such a good person, so close, I really lack words.” A feeling that overwhelms thousands of Chileans who recognize in Sebastián Piñera the helmsman of a ship that managed to go through the biggest storms in its recent history.

ANDREA AGUILAR CÓRDOBA
TIME CORRESPONDENT
SANTIAGO