Álvaro Ortiz Vera

Ortiz completed his primary education at Escuela República Argentina and his secondary studies at the Colegio Sagrados Corazones de Concepción. He later obtained a journalism degree and a Master's in Politics and Government from the Universidad de Concepción. During the 1990s he worked as a communications advisor and project manager in community organizations in Lota.

He served as councilman of Concepción from 2004 to 2012. In 2006, he was appointed Regional Director of the INJUV in the Biobío Region, a position he held until 2010.^[1]

In 2012, Ortiz was elected Mayor of Concepción, obtaining more than 55% of the vote, defeating the UDI candidate Emilio Armstrong.^[2]

He was re-elected in 2016, obtaining 46% of the vote and defeating Cristián Van Rysselberghe.^[3]

Under his administration, major urban projects were completed, including the renovation of Avenida Diagonal Pedro Aguirre Cerda^[4] and the modernization of the municipal stadium.^[5]

During the 2019 social unrest, Ortiz publicly criticized the regional authorities for inadequate responses to vandalism in the city.^[6]

He subsequently managed the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic, coordinating municipal health teams and public communication.^[7]

After the enactment of re-election limits, Ortiz resigned as mayor on 15 November 2024 in order to run for Congress.^[8] He was elected deputy for the 20th District in the 2025 parliamentary elections.^[9]

• Official website Archived 2021-12-05 at the Wayback Machine
• Municipality of Concepción
• Álvaro Ortiz at SUBDERE