Jaime Bassa Explained

Office:Vice President of the Constitutional Convention
Term Start:4 July 2021
Term End:4 January 2022
Predecessor:Office established
Successor:Gaspar Domínguez
Office1:Member of the Constitutional Convention
Termstart1:4 July 2021
Term End1:4 July 2022
Constituency1:7th District
Birth Date:1977 3, df=y
Jaime Bassa
Birth Name:Jaime Andrés Bassa Mercado
Alma Mater:Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
Nationality:Chilean
Occupation:Law professor
President:Elisa Loncón
Party:Independent

Jaime Andrés Bassa Mercado (born 31 March 1977) is a Chilean politician and attorney. Bassa has served as the Vice President of the Constitutional Convention of Chile since 2021.[1] A political independent, Bassa is closely associated with the left-wing Broad Front alliance.

Early life and education

Bassa received his law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. He later received master's degrees in law from the University of Chile and in philosophy from the University of Valparaíso.[2] Additionally, Bassa received a doctorate in law from the University of Barcelona. As an academic, Bassa has notably served as a professor of constitutional law at the University of Valparaíso.

Bassa was heavily involved in student politics during his youth, and was generally associated with moderate and liberal politics. During his time in university, Bassa ran for a student position on the same list as Sebastián Sichel.[3]

Political views

During his early political career, Bassa held centrist or centre-left views. During the 2010s, his political views shifted leftward, and he embraced economic interventionist policies.[4] Bassa has criticized economic inequality in Chile, stating that "[i]t is important to note that the wealth of this country is generated by all of us and it is not fair that it is concentrated in a few families".[5]

Bassa is a close ally of leftist politician Gabriel Boric, and has endorsed Boric's campaign in the 2021 Chilean general election.[6]

References

  1. Web site: 2021-05-16. Primeros resultados en Valparaíso: Jaime Bassa y Jorge Arancibia lideran conteos de constituyentes. 2021-07-14. BioBioChile - La Red de Prensa Más Grande de Chile. es.
  2. Web site: 2021-07-05. Quién es Jaime Bassa, el abogado "sin corbata" elegido vicepresidente de la Convención Constituyente de Chile. 2021-07-17. El Mostrador. es.
  3. Web site: 2021-07-08. El pasado liberal de Jaime Bassa: compitió junto a Sichel en la Escuela de Derecho de la PUC y era discípulo del jurista Óscar Godoy. 2021-07-17. La Tercera.
  4. Web site: 2021-07-04. Perfil: Quién es Jaime Bassa, el aliado de Boric electo como vicepresidente de la Convención Constituyente Ex-Ante. 2021-07-15. www.ex-ante.cl. es-CL.
  5. Web site: Chile. C. N. N.. Jaime Bassa: "No somos la candidatura con más millones, pero sí la con más apoyos". 2021-07-17. CNN Chile. es.
  6. Web site: Chile. C. N. N.. 5 momentos que dejó la entrevista a Jaime Bassa en Tolerancia Cero 2021. 2021-07-17. CNN Chile. es.