| Diego Paulsen | |
| Office: | President of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile |
| Vicepresident: | Francisco Undurraga Rodrigo González Torres |
| Term Start: | 7 April 2020 |
| Term End: | 11 March 2022 |
| Predecessor: | Iván Flores |
| Office1: | Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile |
| Constituency1: | District 22 of Araucanía |
| Term Start1: | 11 March 2018 |
| Predecessor1: | District established |
| Constituency2: | District 49 of Araucanía |
| Term Start2: | 11 March 2014 |
| Term End2: | 11 March 2018 |
| Successor2: | District dissolved |
| Predecessor2: | Enrique Estay |
| Birth Date: | 1 August 1987 |
| Birth Place: | Temuco, Chile |
| Party: | National Renewal |
| Spouse: | María Valentina García |
| Children: | 2 |
| Alma Mater: | Adolfo Ibáñez University Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso (PgD) |
| Signature: | Firma Diego Paulsen.png |
| Occupation: | Politician |
| Profession: | Law graduate |
Diego Alfredo Paulsen Kehr[1] [2] (born 1 August 1987) is a Chilean politician who served as the President of the Chamber of Deputies[3] from 2020 to 2022, and as has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2020, representing District 22 of Araucanía.[4]
He is the youngest person to hold the position of President of the Chamber of Deputies, being elected in April 2020 at the age of 32.[5] As President of the Chamber of Deputies, Paulsen is third in the presidential line of succession, after the Minister of the Interior and Public Security and the President of the Senate.[6]
Paulsen was first elected to Congress in 2013 representing District 49 of Araucanía and then reelected in 2017 representing the newly created District 22. He is a member of the liberal conservative National Renewal Party.
Paulsen was born in Temuco to a family of Danish and German descent. He graduated from Adolfo Ibáñez University with a law degree and earned a postgraduate diploma in law and parliamentary administration at the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso.
Paulsen worked as a legal consultant for various businesses from 2007 to 2012. In 2012, he began working as a consultant for National Renewal's parliamentary committee. The following year, Paulsen won the primaries and became a congressional candidate for the 49th district of the Araucanía Region. Paulsen was elected with 26.26% of the votes and began his term as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in 2014.
Paulsen presided an investigative commission regarding the University of Art & Social Sciences (ARCIS) and its accreditation process.[7] He was also part of an investigative commission regarding public spending on primary health care and hospital infrastructure.[8]
In 2017, he was reelected to the Chamber of the Deputies representing the 22nd district of the Araucanía Region.
Paulsen is against abortion. In 2017, he voted against a bill that sought to legalize abortion under special circumstances.[9]
In 2016, Paulsen voted in favor of a bill that attempted to reinstate the death penalty in Chile. The bill was rejected in the Chamber of Deputies with 111 votes against and 13 votes in favor.[10]
In a 2014 interview with The Clinic, Paulsen stated that he was against same-sex marriage but in favor of civil unions.[11]
| Candidate | List | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuad Chahín | New Majority | DC | 26 586 | 43.69 | Deputy | |
| Diego Paulsen | Alliance | RN | 15 981 | 26.26 | Deputy | |
| Marcelo Segura | New Majority | PPD | 9141 | 15.02 | ||
| Enrique Estay | Alliance | UDI | 6738 | 11.07 | ||
| Marcelino Collio | If You Want It, Chile Changes | IND | 1349 | 2.21 | ||
| Gloria Mujica | Humanist Party | PH | 1050 | 1.72 |
| Candidate | List | Party | Votes | % | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Paulsen | Chile Vamos | RN | 24 385 | 22.6 | Deputy | |
| Jorge Rathgeb | Chile Vamos | RN | 21 468 | 19.9 | Deputy | |
| Mario Venegas | Democratic Convergence | DC | 14 978 | 13.9 | Deputy | |
| Andrea Parra | New Majority | PPD | 10 310 | 9.5 | Deputy | |
| Guillermo Jaramillo | New Majority | PPD | 7558 | 7.0 | ||
| Gregorio de la Maza | Chile Vamos | UDI | 6869 | 6.4 | ||
| Rayén Ingles | Democratic Convergence | DC | 4751 | 4.4 | ||
| Evaristo Curical | Broad Front | PH | 4404 | 4.1 |