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Jeannette Jara

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Jara and the second or maternal family name is Román.
Jeannette Jara
Jara in 2022
Minister of Labor and Social Provision
In office
11 March 2022 – 7 April 2025
PresidentGabriel Boric
Preceded byPatricio Melero
Succeeded byGiorgio Boccardo
Undersecretary of Social Provision
In office
10 November 2016 – 11 March 2018
PresidentMichelle Bachelet
Preceded byJulia Urquieta
Succeeded byMaría José Zaldívar
President of the University of Santiago de Chile Students Federation
In office
1997–1998
Preceded byMagdalena Alid
Succeeded byMarcos Barraza
Personal details
Born (1974-04-23) 23 April 1974 (age 51)
Independencia, Chile
PartyCommunist Party
(1989−present)
Spouse(s)
Gonzalo Garrido Rojas
​
​
(m. 1993; died 1996)​

Víctor Manuel Gajardo Aguilera
​
​
(m. 2013; div. 2021)​
Domestic partnerClaudio Rodríguez
Children1
Alma mater
OccupationPublic Administrator • Lawyer • Politician

Jeannette Alejandra Jara Román (born 23 April 1974) is a Chilean lawyer, public administrator, and politician. A member of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), she served as Minister of Labor and Social Provision under President Gabriel Boric from 2022 to 2025. She previously served as Undersecretary of Social Provision during Michelle Bachelet's second administration (2016–2018).

During her tenure as Labor Minister, Jara oversaw major reforms, including a reduction of the working week to 40 hours and increases to the minimum wage. In June 2025, she won the governing coalition's presidential primary, becoming its nominee for the 2025 general election.[1] In the first round of voting on 16 November 2025, she secured a plurality and advanced to a runoff against José Antonio Kast;[2] she was defeated in the December runoff.

Early life and education

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Jeannette Jara was born on 23 April 1974 in Conchalí, a working-class commune in northern Santiago (now part of Independencia). She grew up in the El Cortijo neighborhood, raised primarily by her grandmother in a mediagua (a modest prefabricated shelter) that initially lacked running water.[3][4] Her father, Sergio Elías Jara Ulloa, was an industrial mechanic, and her mother, Jeanette del Carmen Román Guzmán, was a homemaker. She is the eldest of five siblings, including the investigative journalist Sergio Jara Román.[5]

Jara attended the Liceo Isaura Dinator de Guzmán, a public high school in Santiago.[6] To support her studies and family, she worked various jobs in her youth, including as a promotora (promoter),a seasonal agricultural worker, and street food vendor.[4]

She initially enrolled in law at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile but transferred to the University of Santiago, Chile (USACH) due to financial constraints and political affinity, graduating with a degree in Public administration.[7] She later obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from the Central University of Chile and a master's degree in Public Management from USACH.[3]

Career

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Student and union activism

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Jara joined the Communist Youth of Chile (JJCC) in 1989 at age 14, during the transition to democracy.[8] In 1997, she was elected president of the Student Federation of the University of Santiago (FEUSACH), defeating a rival slate from the Socialist Party of Chile.[3] That same year, she helped coordinate a massive tribute to Che Guevara at the Estadio Nacional Julio Martínez Prádanos, attended by 60,000 people.[4]

During a 1997 student protest, she was arrested and accused of assaulting a police officer—a charge she denied. She was briefly detained at the San Joaquín Women's Prison, an event that caused friction between the Communist Party and the governing Concertación coalition.[4]

After graduating, Jara joined the Internal Revenue Service (SII) as a fiscal auditor. She became active in the Association of Internal Revenue Service Inspectors (AFIICH), serving as a national leader and union representative for over a decade.[3]

Bachelet administration (2014–2018)

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During the second administration of Michelle Bachelet, the Communist Party joined the ruling New Majority coalition. Jara served as chief of staff to the Undersecretary of Social Provision, Julia Urquieta, and later as an advisor in the Ministry of Social Development and Family.[8]

In October 2016, President Bachelet appointed her Undersecretary of Social Provision, a post she held until the end of the administration in March 2018.[6] After leaving government, she taught at the Academy of

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Christian Humanism University and worked as a municipal administrator for the Commune of Santiago under Mayor Irací Hassler.[9] In 2021, she ran for mayor of Conchalí but was not elected.[6]

Minister of Labor (2022–2025)

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On 21 January 2022, President-elect Gabriel Boric appointed Jara as Minister of Labor and Social Provision. She assumed office on 11 March 2022, becoming the first Communist to hold the portfolio.[10]

Jara became a central figure in the Boric cabinet, known for her negotiating ability with both business guilds and trade unions.[11] Her flagship achievement was the "40 Hours Law" (Ley de 40 Horas), enacted in April 2023, which mandated a gradual reduction of the standard working week from 45 to 40 hours over five years.[12] She also secured legislative approval for a significant hike in the minimum wage to 500,000 CLP and the "Karin Law" aimed at preventing workplace harassment.[13]

Jara resigned from the cabinet on 7 April 2025 to pursue a presidential bid, handing over the ministry to Giorgio Boccardo.[14]

2025 presidential campaign

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Jara was nominated by the Communist Party in early 2025. On 29 June 2025, she won the primary of the ruling coalition (Unity for Chile), defeating Carolina Tohá (PPD), Gonzalo Winter (FA), and Jaime Mulet (FRVS).[15] She became the second Communist woman to run for the presidency, following Gladys Marín in 1999.[16]

Her campaign platform emphasized a living wage of 750,000 CLP, the creation of a National Employment Agency, and the establishment of a National Care System.[11] In the general election held on 16 November 2025, Jara received 27% of the vote, securing a plurality and advancing to a December runoff against the right-wing candidate José Antonio Kast.[2] Jara lost the runoff after gaining only 41.8% of the vote; despite winning several communes, Jara failed to win a majority vote in any of Chile's regions.[17]

Personal life

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Jara married Gonzalo Garrido Rojas, a fellow student leader and member of the JJCC, in 1993. Garrido died by suicide in 1996; Jara has remained close to his family and often commemorates him publicly.[4] She later married Víctor Gajardo Aguilera, with whom she has one son; the couple divorced in 2021. As of 2025, she is in a relationship with Claudio Rodríguez, a social worker.[7]

References

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  1. ^ Villegas, Alexander (29 June 2025). "Chile picks Jeannette Jara to face off against right-wing presidential field". Reuters. Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  2. ^ a b Debre, Isabel (17 November 2025). "Chile's hard-right holds the upper hand as presidential election goes to a tense runoff". AP News. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d "Jeannette Jara Román, nueva Subsecretaria de Previsión Social" (in Spanish). Superintendencia de Seguridad Social. 10 November 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d e Palma, Sebastián (6 July 2025). "El íntimo perfil de Jeannette Jara: su luto juvenil, el liderazgo estudiantil en la Usach y su cercanía con Michelle Bachelet". The Clinic (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  5. ^ Arellano, Jorge (8 April 2025). "¿Del Cortijo a La Moneda?: la historia de cómo Jeannette Jara se convirtió en candidata presidencial". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Quién es Jeannette Jara, la nueva ministra de Trabajo de Gabriel Boric". La Tercera (in Spanish). 21 January 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  7. ^ a b Izquierdo, Manuel (30 June 2025). "El intenso trayecto político de Jeannette Jara (y los desconocidos pasajes de su historia)". Ex-Ante (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 June 2025.
  8. ^ a b "Quién es la subsecretaria comunista que abrió los fuegos contra la encuesta de AFP Habitat sobre las pensiones". El Libero (in Spanish). 16 July 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Anales de la República; Jeannette Jara Román". Anales.cl (in Spanish). 2021. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Jeannette Jara asumió como ministra del Trabajo y Previsión Social" (in Spanish). SENCE. 11 March 2022. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
  11. ^ a b Rueckert, Phineas (25 November 2025). "In Chile, Jeannette Jara Is the Candidate for Organized Labor". Jacobin. Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Chile approves law to reduce work week to 40 hours". Reuters. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 12 April 2023.
  13. ^ "Entrada en vigencia de la Ley 40 Horas, de la Ley Karin y el alza del salario mínimo a $ 500 mil destacan en el balance ministerial de 2024". Ministry of Labor and Social Provision (in Spanish). 31 December 2024. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
  14. ^ Copa, Diana (7 April 2025). "Jeannette Jara renuncia al Ministerio del Trabajo tras anunciar candidatura presidencial por el PC". ADN Radio Chile (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
  15. ^ "Tras triunfo de Jeannette Jara: estos son los candidatos presidenciales definitivos para noviembre". 24 Horas (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 June 2025.
  16. ^ Montes, Rocío (26 April 2025). "Jeannette Jara, candidata presidencial del Partido Comunista chileno: "No trabajo con lógicas refundacionales"". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 2 July 2025.
  17. ^ "Major win for ultra-conservative gives Chile its most right-wing president in decades". AP News. 2025-12-14. Retrieved 2025-12-15.

Notes

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a.^ A promotora is a sales promoter, typically hired to demonstrate products or distribute samples in retail environments.
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