| Irací Hassler | |
| Office: | Mayor of Santiago |
| Term Start: | 28 June 2021 |
| Term End: | 15 November 2024 |
| Predecessor: | Felipe Alessandri |
| Successor: | Mario Desbordes |
| Office1: | Santiago municipal councillor |
| Term Start1: | 2016 |
| Term End1: | 2021 |
| Alma Mater: | University of Chile |
| Party: | Communist Party of Chile |
| Birth Date: | 6 November 1990 |
| Birth Place: | Santiago, Chile |
| Birth Name: | Irací Luiza Hassler Jacob |
Irací Luiza Hassler Jacob (born 6 November 1990) is a Chilean politician and economist who served as the mayor of the commune of Santiago, which corresponds with Downtown Santiago, from 2021 to 2024. Hassler is a member of the Communist Party of Chile (PCCh), a far left-wing political party. She has been described as "the new face of feminism and environmentalism" in Chile.[1]
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". 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 (de|Schweizer Schule Santiago), a Swiss international school in Ñuñoa, Santiago. Hassler would later attend the University of Chile,[5] where she studied commercial engineering and was a member of the University Senate from 2012 to 2014.[6] After graduation, Hassler would work as a professional economist.[7]
During the 2011 Chilean student protests, Hassler joined Communist Youth of Chile (La Jota).[8] Hassler was also involved in the leadership of the University of Chile Student Federation (FECh).[9] Hassler would formally become a member of the Communist Party (PCCh) in 2018. In 2016, Hassler was elected as a municipal councillor in Santiago[10] 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.[11] She thus ran as mayoral candidate in the May 2021 election.[12] [13] 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".[14] [15]
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.[16] Hassler was joined by Mayor of Recoleta and 2021 presidential candidate Daniel Jadue, a fellow communist, in a tour of the Barrio Lastarria.[17] An advocate of municipal socialism, Hassler stating that "communist management in a local government can transform people's lives".[18]
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.[19]
In 2024 Chilean municipal elections, she lost the re-election of Santiago, defeated by Mario Desbordes (RN) who got over 22% of more votes than Hassler.[20] She later resigned as mayor to participate in the 2025 Chilean parliamentary elections.[21]