José Antonio Viera-Gallo

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José Antonio Viera-Gallo Quesney (born 1943, Santiago) is a Chilean politician.

Aged less than thirty, Viera-Gallo was a Member of Parliament during the left-wing elected government of president Salvador Allende, representing the Socialist Party of Chile. Following the 1973 coup by General Augusto Pinochet, he was among those persecuted by the new regime. Like other left-wing ousted politicians, he sought refuge in a foreign diplomatic mission, specifically the Apostolic Nunciature, where he lived for over six months.

With the help of then Apostolic Nuncio Angelo Sodano (who would later rise to the rank of cardinal in the Catholic hierarchy), he was able to obtain safe passage out of Chile, and moved to exile in Rome, Italy. Together with other politicians including Bernardo Leighton, and with the support of leading Italian socialists including Bettino Craxi and Rino Formica, he lead the Socialist Party of Chile from exile in Italy, while the Communist Party of Chile was led by Colodomiro Almeida and others from Moscow in the then Soviet Union.

As part of his advocacy efforts to fight the regime of Augusto Pinochet, he founded the magazine ChileAmérica, which would later become incorporated into the Centre for Social Studies (CESOC). In 1985 he was allowed to return to Chile. During the government of president Patricio Aylwin, he was president of the Chamber of Deputies from 1990 to 1995.

He later covered various other appointments, including lead senator of his party. As of 2007, he is special minister for the Presidency, in the government of Michele Bachelet. He is married to Maria Teresa Chadwick, and has three daughters: Maria José, Titi, and Manuela.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Publications

"Investigaciones para un estudio de la Revolución en América Latina"
"La trampa de la Seguridad, Carrera Armamentista y Desarme"
"Chile: Un Nuevo Camino"
"11 de septiembre, la Pausa de la Razón"
"Se abre la Sesión"
Foreword in "La Tansición Cubana y el Bloqueo Norteamericano" by Maurizio Giuliano