Alberto Espina

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Alberto Espina
Official portrait (2018)
Minister of Defense
In office 11 March 2018 – 28 July 2020
President	Sebastián Piñera
Preceded by	José Antonio Gómez
Succeeded by	Mario Desbordes[1]
Member of the Senate of Chile
In office 11 March 2002 – 11 March 2018
Preceded by	Francisco Prat Alemparte
Succeeded by	Dissolution of the Circumscription
Constituency	14th Circunscription
Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile
In office 11 March 1990 – 11 March 2002
Preceded by	Creation of the district
Succeeded by	Marcela Cubillos
Constituency	21st Disctict
Personal details
Born	(1956-12-04) 4 December 1956 (age 67) Santiago, Chile
Political party	Movimiento de Unión Nacional (1983–1987) Renovación Nacional (1988–)
Spouse	María Elena Donoso (1980–)
Children	Three
Parent(s)	Alberto Espina Barros María Eliana Otero Donoso
Relatives	Miguel Otero Lathrop (uncle)
Alma mater	Universidad de Chile (BA)
Occupation	Politician
Profession	Lawyer

Alberto Miguel Espina Otero (born 4 December 1956) is a Chilean lawyer and politician.

He was Minister of Defense in the second government of the President Sebastián Piñera (2018–2022).^[2][3]

He is the son of Alberto Espina Barros and María Eliana Otero Lathrop (now deceased). Also Espina has three brothers: a doctor, another Minister of the Court of Appeals and another sister. Likewise, he is the nephew of Miguel Otero Lathrop, senator of Renovación Nacional ―RN; same party of Espina― for the 1990–1998 period.

He attended at The Grange School graduating from there in 1974. Then, he entered to Universidad de Chile's School of Law, being received with a degree in legal and social sciences in 1979. During his spell at the School of Law he was assistant of the Constitutional and Procedural Law departments as well as he was assistant professor of Procedural Law. Once received, Espina was professor of Criminal Law and Police Procedure at the Escuela de Carabineros de Chile.

He began his political activities as president of the Grange school student center, where he was student leader within the opposition to the Popular Unity (UP) government (1970–1973).

In 1983, he was founding member of Movimiento de Unión Nacional (MUN), movement which signed the National Agreement for the Transition to Full Democracy. In 1987, his movement merged into the RN party, organization where Espina was founder, regional president of the (Metropolitan Region), political commission member, Vice-president and national president.

In 1989, he was elected deputy (1990–1994) for the communes of Ñuñoa and Providencia, being reelected with the first majority in 1993 and 1997 for the periods 1994–1998 and 1998–2002. In 1999, he was a member of the Central Command of the Presidential Candidacy of Joaquín Lavín (UDI) during 1999–00 presidential election.

In 2001, he was elected Senator for the period 2002–2010. In 2005, he was the political head of the Presidential Candidacy of his partymate Sebastián Piñera, who now faced Lavín. In 2009, he was reelected senator for the period 2010–2018.

On 6 November 2020, it was reported by El Líbero that Espina was appointed by Piñera as counsellor of State of Chile's Defense Council.^[4][5]

• Alberto Espina on Twitter