Chile’s Senate has elected Paulina Núñez as its new president, making her the fifth woman in the country’s history to lead the upper chamber of Congress.
Following a vote in the chamber, lawmakers also selected Iván Moreira as vice president of the Senate, according to an announcement shared by the Senate of Chile on social media.
Núñez, a member of the center-right National Renewal party, represents the northern region of Antofagasta. She will preside over the Senate throughout 2026, after her candidacy gained support through an administrative agreement between the conservative coalition Chile Vamos and sectors of the center-left, including the Socialist Party of Chile and the Party for Democracy.
In addition to leading the chamber, Núñez will play a key role in Chile’s upcoming presidential transition. She is scheduled to preside over the ceremony in which outgoing president Gabriel Boric hands power to president-elect José Antonio Kast.
During the event, Núñez will place the presidential sash and the Piocha de Bernardo O’Higgins, one of Chile’s most important national symbols, on the incoming president.
Her election adds her name to the small group of women who have previously led the Senate, including Ximena Rincón, Yasna Provoste, Adriana Delpiano, and Isabel Allende Bussi.
