On April 12, the Latin America Initiative at Brookings hosted Sebastián Piñera, the newly elected president of Chile, for an address on the efforts to rebuild Chile in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake. In his remarks, President Piñera discussed his future economic plans for Chile, the significance of the political transition taking place in Chile and its impact on the political landscape of Latin America.

Sebastián Piñera was sworn in as the 35th president of Chile on March 11, 2010. He holds both masters and doctoral degrees in economics from Harvard University, which led him to the Economic Commission for Latin America in 1981. From 1971-1990, he served on the economics faculties of several Chilean universities. He was elected a Chilean senator in 1989, a position he held for eight years. As a senator, his participation in several Chilean commissions, ranging from finance to human rights, demonstrated his enthusiasm to work for the success of the recently recuperated Chilean democracy and a commitment to programs that help improve the living conditions of Chileans.

Martin Indyk, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, introduced Mr. Piñera. At the conclusion of the president’s remarks, Senior Fellow Mauricio Cárdenas, director of the Latin America Initiative, moderated a question and answer session.