Mario Riquelme Muñoz
Mario Roberto Riquelme Muñoz (1928–2019) was a Chilean worker, trade unionist and politician.
A member of the Communist Party of Chile, he served as Deputy for the 2nd Departamental Group ―Antofagasta, Tocopilla, El Loa and Taltal― during the XLVI Legislative Period (1969–1973).
Early life
Born in Antofagasta on 21 February 1928, he studied at the Escuela Superior de Hombres of Antofagasta, leaving school after sixth grade to begin working as an electrician.
Political and union career
He joined the Communist Party of Chile and soon became involved in trade union activities. He was president of the Industrial Union of the María Elena Saltpeter Office (1951–1953) and served as secretary general of the CUT (Central Workers' Union) in the department of Tocopilla.
He was elected mayor of Tocopilla in 1953, serving until 1955, and later as councillor of the same municipality from 1959 to 1969.
Parliamentary career
In the 1969 elections, he was elected Deputy for the 2nd Departamental Group –Antofagasta, Tocopilla, El Loa and Taltal– for the 1969–1973 period. He sat on the Permanent Commission on Economy, Development and Reconstruction.
After the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, he went into hiding alongside other Communist Party members who were persecuted by the military regime. He was detained in 1975 at Villa Grimaldi by the DINA, and again in 1987 by the CNI, spending time imprisoned in Santiago before regaining his freedom in 1988.
Death
He died on 5 October 2019 at the age of 91.