Quick Facts
Biography
Mario Adolfo del Carmen Fernández Baeza (born in Rancagua, 22 November 1947) is a Chilean lawyer, professor and politician, member of the Christian Democratic Party. Currently, he is Minister of the Interior and Public Security of the Michelle Bachelet's second term.
Previously he served as Minister of State of the president Ricardo Lagos, minister of the Chilean Constitutional Court (2006-2011), and ambassador of Chile to Germany, Austria, and Uruguay.
Studies and academic career
He studied in the Public School Nª 3 and the Liceo de Hombres, both in his native town. He was secretary and vice-president of the Students Centre of his school, and its delegate in two National Congresses of Secondary Students. He also was member of the Youth of Catholic Students.
Later he studied in the Universidad de Chile Law School in Valparaíso, between 1967 and 1969, when he moved to the Law School in Santiago. He got a grade in Juridical and Social Sciences in 1975. Afterwards he made a Doctorate in political science, history, international right public and philosophy in the University of Heidelberg, Germany.
He has been Law professor in the Diego Portales University, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and University of Chile, among others.
Political and public career
He joined the Christian Democrat Party in 1966. He served as undersecretary of Aviation and War during the governments of the presidents Patricio Aylwin and Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle (1990-1993, 1994-1995 and 1996-1999).
In 2000 he was appointed by president Ricardo Lagos as minister of National Defence, until 2002, when a cabinet reshuffle assigned the Ministry to Michelle Bachelet, and Fernández was named Minister General Secretariat of the Presidency (2002-2003). Later he was designated ambassador to Germany.
On 13 December 2005, the Senate appointed him minister of the Constitutional Court of Chile, starting on 1 January 2006. He resigned on 31 March 2011, to join the consulting firm Latinus and restart his teaching classes in different universities.
In 2014 he assumed, in the second term of Michelle Bachelet, as ambassador to Germany, being reassigned in mid-2015 to Uruguay. On 8 June 2016, president Bachelet appointed him as minister of the Interior and Public Security, in replacement of the renounced Jorge Burgos.
Beliefs
Fernández is an Opus Dei member.
Works
- Más allá de la transición, Santiago, 1986
- Las políticas sociales en el Cono Sur, 1975-1985, Santiago, 1986
- (ed., with Dieter Nohlen and O. Bareiro) Kooperation und Konflikt im La Plata-Becken, Saarbrücken/Fort Lauderdale, 1986
- (with Dieter Nohlen and A. van Klaveren) Demokratie und Aussenpolitik in Lateinamerika, Opladen, 1991
- (with Dieter Nohlen) Presidencialismo versus parlamentarismo en América Latina, Caracas, 1991
- (with Dieter Nohlen) El Presidencialismo renovado, Caracas, 1998
