Irací Hassler
Irací Hassler | |
---|---|
![]() Hassler in August 2024 | |
Mayor of Santiago Centro | |
Incumbent | |
Assumed office June 28, 2021 | |
Preceded by | Felipe Alessandri |
Succeeded by | Irací Hassler |
Santiago municipal councillor | |
In office 2016–2021 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Irací Luiza Hassler Jacob (1990-11-06) 6 November 1990 (age 33) Santiago, Chile |
Political party | Communist Party of Chile |
Alma mater | University of Chile |
Irací Luiza Hassler Jacob (born 6 November 1990) is a Chilean politician and economist who currently serves as the Mayor of the Commune of Santiago, which corresponds with Downtown Santiago, since 2021. Hassler is a member of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), a left-wing political party. She has been described as "the new face of feminism and environmentalism" in Chile.[1]
Early life and education
Hassler was born in November 1990 in Santiago to a Brazilian mother of Tupi-Guarani and French-Jewish descent and a Chilean father of Swiss descent.[2] Her father, Rolf Hassler, made a living as a fruit businessman in Olmué, Valparaíso Region,[3][4] and is a conservative. Hassler's mother is said to be a supporter of centre-left politics and is from a family that originates northeastern Brazilian state of Piauí. Hassler has stated that her given name, Irací, is of indigenous Tupi-Guarani origin and means "queen of the bees".[5] In addition to Spanish, Hassler is fluent in her mother's native tongue of Portuguese as well as German.[1]
Hassler studied at the Swiss School in Santiago (German: Schweizer Schule Santiago), a Swiss international school in Ñuñoa, Santiago.[2] Hassler would later attend the University of Chile,[6] where she studied commercial engineering and was a member of the University Senate from 2012 to 2014.[7] After graduation, Hassler would work as a professional economist.[8]
Political career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/07/Apoyo_de_Nuevo_Trato_07_05_2021.jpg/220px-Apoyo_de_Nuevo_Trato_07_05_2021.jpg)
During the 2011 Chilean student protests, Hassler joined Communist Youth of Chile (La Jota).[9] Hassler was also involved in the leadership of the University of Chile Student Federation (FECh).[10] Hassler would formally become a member of the Communist Party (PCCh) in 2018.[2] In 2016, Hassler was elected as a municipal councillor in Santiago[11] for a term ending in 2020. Hassler's term in office was extended until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In December 2020, Hassler won the primary election to determine the opposition's candidate to the office of Mayor of Santiago vis-à-vis the upcoming 2021 municipal election.[12] She thus ran as mayoral candidate in the May 2021 election.[13][14] With remaining votes still to be counted, she called her win over incumbent Mayor Felipe Alessandri (RN) in the Plaza de Armas past 1 AM of 17 May 2021 amidst chants of "Irací, el otro no".[15][16]
In a 2021 interview with BBC following her victory, Hassler identified ending food insecurity and discrimination against migrants in Santiago as top priorities of her incoming administration.[17] Hassler was joined by Mayor of Recoleta and 2021 presidential candidate Daniel Jadue, a fellow communist, in a tour of the Barrio Lastarria.[18] An advocate of municipal socialism, Hassler stating that "communist management in a local government can transform people's lives".[19]
According to El País, Hassler has named U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Mayor of Barcelona Ada Colau, and late Chilean communist leader Gladys Marín as left-wing women in politics she admires.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Irací Hassler, la izquierda 'millennial' de Chile ". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 June 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ a b c Yáñez, Cecilia (17 May 2021). "Feministas y jóvenes: Karina Oliva e Irací Hassler, las sorpresas de la RM". La Tercera.
- ^ Saravia, Claudia (20 May 2021). "Juan Sutil revela el vínculo empresarial con familia de Irací Hassler y destaca la capacidad de la nueva alcaldesa: "Es una mujer muy preparada"". La Tercera.
- ^ Andrew Chernin (23 May 2021). "El camino rojo de Irací Hassler". La Tercera. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ a b Montes, Rocío (22 May 2021). "Irací Hassler: "Chile tiene un modelo de abusos y debe poner la dignidad en el centro"". EL PAÍS (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ Castillo Becerra, Gonzalo (12 November 2013). ""La gente se cansa cuando ve que las marchas no generan ningún impacto"". KmCero.
- ^ "Irací Hassler Jacob - Universidad de Chile". uchile.cl. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "LA ENTREVISTA PRIVADA. Irací Hassler – El Siglo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "La entrevista privada. Irací Hassler". El Siglo. 13 November 2020.
- ^ Manríquez, Yem (17 May 2021). "¿Quién es Irací Hassler?: La militante del PC que logró un triunfo histórico al ser electa alcaldesa de Santiago". ADN Radio.
- ^ Pinto, Fabiola (24 October 2016). "Conoce a los diez concejales electos en la comuna de Santiago". Biobiochile.
- ^ "Irací Hassler, candidata PC, se impone en inéditas primarias ciudadanas para definir al candidato opositor por alcaldía de Santiago". El Mostrador. 7 December 2020.
- ^ "¿Quién es Irací Hassler?: La militante comunista que se convirtió en nueva alcaldesa de Santiago". Meganoticias.
- ^ "Fallo fotográfico en la Municipalidad de Santiago: Irací Hassler (PC) aumenta la ventaja sobre Felipe Alessandri (RN)". El Desconcierto. 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Irací Hassler consigue histórico triunfo para el PC y asesta golpe a Chile Vamos al arrebatar a Alessandri alcaldía de Santiago". La Tercera. 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Se reordenan las piezas del ajedrez municipal: derecha pierde comunas emblemáticas y el poder se redistribuye en las distintas oposiciones". 17 May 2021.
- ^ "Irací Hassler, primera alcaldesa comunista de Santiago de Chile: "No debemos tener miedo a transformar un modelo que ha sido tremendamente excluyente"". BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Irací Hassler y Daniel Jadue…un recorrido por Lastarria – El Siglo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 July 2021.
- ^ "Iraci Hassler: Chile's rising star and first communist mayor in Santiago". au.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
External links
Media related to Irací Hassler at Wikimedia Commons