María Nora Cuevas Contreras (born 4 January 1959) is a Chilean public relations officer and politician of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI). She has been a member of the Chamber of Deputies for District 14 since August 2020. She previously served as a councilor of San Bernardo from 2000 to 2008, and its mayor from 2008 to 2020.

Nora Cuevas
Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
In office
5 August 2020 – 11 March 2022
Preceded byJaime Bellolio
ConstituencyDistrict 14
Mayor of San Bernardo
In office
6 December 2008 – 31 July 2020
Preceded byOrfelina Bustos Carmona
Succeeded byLeonel Cádiz Soto
Councilor of San Bernardo
In office
6 December 2000 – 6 December 2008
Personal details
Born
María Nora Cuevas Contreras

(1959-01-04) 4 January 1959 (age 65)
Santiago, Chile
Political partyIndependent Democratic Union
SpouseJean-Yves Gautier
Children2
EducationUniversity of Chile
OccupationPublic relations officer, politician

Early life and education

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Nora Cuevas was born in Santiago on 4 January 1959, the daughter of Nora Hilda Contreras Quiroz and Raúl Alfredo Cuevas Palma.[1] Her father was a politician of the Liberal Party (PL), who served as the mayor of San Bernardo from 1963 to 1967, and a councilor there from 1992 to 1996.[2]

She attended the Colegio Inmaculada Concepción de San Bernardo, and later studied pedagogy in biology at the University of Chile. She graduated as a public relations officer from the National School of Public Relations.[3]

She worked at the Central University of Chile for 16 years as its head of wellness.[1][3]

She is married to Jean-Yves Gautier, and has two children from a previous marriage.[3]

Political career

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Cuevas began her political career with an unsuccessful run for councilor of San Bernardo commune in the 1996 municipal elections. She ran again in 2000 and was elected, repeating the result in 2004.[3][4]

In 2008, she ran for mayor of San Bernardo, and was elected with 41.6% of the votes. She was reelected twice, serving until 2020.[5] As mayor, she promoted the establishment of San Bernardo as a center of Chilean folklore.[6]

During the 2017 general election, Cuevas was a spokesperson for presidential candidate José Antonio Kast, a former member of the UDI, dealing with social, municipal, and housing issues for his campaign.[2]

On 31 July 2020, she was designated by the UDI's board to fill the vacancy left by Jaime Bellolio in the Chamber of Deputies when he was named Minister Secretary General of Government.[7]

Cuevas was sworn in on 5 August, becoming a member of the permanent commissions on human rights and indigenous peoples, family, sports and recreation, and women and gender equity.[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Nora Cuevas Contreras" (in Spanish). Library of Congress of Chile. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b Villalobos D., Fernanda (27 September 2018). "Ex vocera de J. A. Kast y 10 años en San Bernardo: La alcaldesa UDI que se enfrenta al Gobierno por proyecto de Walmart" [Ex-Spokesperson for J. A. Kast and 10 Years in San Bernardo: The UDI Mayor Confronting the Government Over Walmart Project]. El Mercurio (in Spanish). Santiago. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d "Biografía Alcaldesa Nora Cuevas Contreras" (in Spanish). Municipality of San Bernardo, Chile. Archived from the original on 19 January 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Elecciones Municipales: Resultados Alcaldes y Concejales 1992–2000" [Municipal Elections: Mayor and Councilor Results 1992–2000] (in Spanish). Electoral Service of Chile. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Elecciones Municipales: Resultados Alcaldes 2004–2012" [Municipal Elections: Mayor Results 2004–2012] (in Spanish). Electoral Service of Chile. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  6. ^ Ponce, David (30 January 2009). "San Bernardo se transforma en la sede del folclor chileno este fin de semana" [San Bernardo Becomes the Headquarters of Chilean Folklore This Weekend]. El Mercurio (in Spanish). Santiago. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
  7. ^ Tapia, Gloria (31 July 2020). "UDI designa a Nora Cuevas y Claudio Alvarado como los reemplazos de Jaime Bellolio y Víctor Pérez en el Congreso" [UDI Designates Nora Cuevas and Claudio Alvarado as the Replacements of Jaime Bellolio and Víctor Pérez in Congress] (in Spanish). Radio Agricultura. Retrieved 7 September 2021.
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