This April 1, coinciding with the anniversary of the death of Jaime Guzmán, Sergio Ramiro Fernández Fernández passed away, at 85 years of age. A lawyer by profession and a key figure in the Pinochet dictatorship, Fernández was one of the founders of the Independent Democratic Union (UDI). His death, as reported Once upon a timewas attributed to a long battle with cancer.
During the military regime, Fernández held positions of great importance, including those of Minister of Labor and the Interior. Subsequently, he served as senator, first appointed and then elected by Magallanes, for two consecutive terms between 1990 and 2006.
He began his career as holder of the civil law chair at the Faculty of Law of the University of Chile in 1971. Later, he worked as a lawyer for the Banking Pension Fund, rising to positions of high responsibility. Since 1975, he was a partner in the law firm Schweitzer & Cía.
His promotion to the Ministry of Labor and Social Security in 1976, and later to the Ministry of the Interior in 1978, marked a milestone as he became the first civilian to occupy the latter position during the dictatorship. His participation in the drafting of the Political Constitution of 1980 and in the issuance of the Amnesty Law in 1978, contributed to his prominence in the regime.
Despite being considered an almost essential member for Pinochet, Fernández faced challenges during the economic crisis of 1980. His proposals to confront the situation were not considered feasible by the military leader, which led to his resignation in 1982.
Among his political movements is the elimination of General Gustavo Leigh from the Military Junta, due to his constant confrontations with Pinochet, achieving the forced departure of the aviator.
After his time in the ministries of the dictatorship, Fernández continued to play an active role in politics, being one of the founding members of the UDI in 1983, along with Jaime Guzmán and Pablo Longueira.
He returned to the Ministry of the Interior on July 7, 1987, within the framework of the proximity of the 1988 national plebiscite, which would decide whether or not Pinochet would remain in power for eight more years. About the campaign he would declare, in his book “My Fight for Democracy”:
- “The results (of his campaign) were regrettable. After a few days, no one could ignore the obvious technical superiority of the No band, better plot construction, better filming, better music. Its characteristic melody, around the phrase ‘joy is coming’, was so catchy that even the Yes supporters hummed it unconsciously.”
After leaving the Senate in 2006, Fernández dedicated himself to the practice of his profession at Schweitzer & Cía.
Since the end of 1999, an international arrest warrant was against him, requested by Judge Baltasar Garzón, for human rights violations committed during the dictatorship.
Cases were opened against Fernández within the framework of “Operation Condor” and in 2005 a group of plaintiffs requested his removal from office, which was rejected by the Court of Appeals.
In the 2005 parliamentary elections, he stood for senatorial re-election for the same Constituency. He obtained 10,910 votes, equivalent to 16.55% of the total valid votes, but was not elected.