Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera

Errázuriz as a senator (1994–2002)

Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera (May 7, 1942 – March 4, 2024) was a Chilean businessman and politician who was a senator and presidential candidate of the Progressive Union of the Centrist Center. He was commonly known as Fra-Fra because he was a stutterer during his childhood. Errázuriz Talavera was of Basque descent.^[1]

Biography

Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera was born in Santiago, son of former senator Ladislao Errázuriz and Amelia Talavera. He studied in the Liceo Alemán and the Escuela Militar Bernardo O'Higgins, reaching the rank of "brigadier major".

On 1989, Errázuriz decided to create the Progressive Union of the Centrist Center and become a candidate in the presidential elections that year. He won 15% of the vote, but managed only to take votes from right-wing candidate Hernán Büchi.

On 1993, Errázuriz was elected Senator for the 10th Congressional District, North Maule, for the period 1994 to 2002. From 1998 to 2000, Errázuriz presided over the Economic Commission.

Errázuriz Talavera died from complications of a stroke on March 4, 2024, at the age of 81 in Pichilemu.^[2]

Legal problems

The Rancagua Appeals Court accused Errázuriz of "crimes and kidnapping" on December 22, 1998, due to the accusations by attorney Francisco Fernández, who said he had been attacked and detained against his will by workers of Errázuriz in his property in Maule. The Supreme Court voted to strip Errázuriz of his senatorial immunity in 1999, the first time a senator had lost his immunity since 1967.

Errázuriz then tried to sue Fernández for libel, but the Rancagua Appeals Court rejected the case. Errázuriz then lodged a complaint against the court. The Supreme Court rejected Errázuriz's claims, too, and acquitted Fernández. This was not the end of Errázuriz's legal troubles however.

Errázuriz had been having a legal fight over property against Marcos Jaramillo for a long time, and by 1998 there were several lawsuits between Errázuriz and Jaramillo. Errázuriz decided to take matters into his own hands and threatened Jaramillo with a shotgun when Jaramillo entered what Errázuriz considered his property. Jaramillo then accused Errázuriz of armed trespass and death threats against him and his family. In response, Errázuriz donated his property to the municipality of Pichilemu to make it into a "resort for the people". The court decided against Jaramillo, who was sentenced to prison for 61 days for libel against Errázuriz.

Three of Errázuriz's companies then went bankrupt and investigations were carried out against another of his companies, Inverraz (Inversiones Errázuriz).

Election

Chilean parliamentary election, 1993

• Senator election 1993 circumscription 10 (Maule Region: Curicó-Talca)^[3]

Candidate	Pact	Party	Votes	Percentage	Result
Oscar Moya Muñoz	Democratic Alternative the Left	PC	1.995	2,31
Francisco Javier Errázuriz Talavera	Union for the Progress	Indp./UCC	32.697	37,94	Senator
Jorge Concha Goycoolea	Union for the Progress	UCC	1.418	1,65
Jaime Gazmuri Mujica	Concert	PS	30.003	34,81	Senator
Eugenio Ortega Riquelme	Concert	PDC	20.067	23,28

References

1. "Escritores.cl". Archived from the original on December 8, 2017. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
2. "A los 81 años falleció Franciso «Fra Fra» Errazuriz, ex candidato presidencial y empresario". El Descon Cierto. March 4, 2024. Retrieved March 4, 2024.
3. Elecciones.gov.cl Archived July 7, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Voting Candidates to the district 34, senator 1993

Additional sources

• Official congressional biography (in Spanish)
• Genealogical chart of Errázuriz family (in Spanish)

External links

• Human Rights Watch on the Fernández/Jaramillo cases