Aurelio Iragorri Valencia (born 15 July 1966) is the 12th Minister of the Interior of Colombia, serving in the administration of President

Juan Manuel Santos Calderón Juan Manuel Santos Calderón (; born 10 August 1951) is a Colombian politician who was the President of Colombia from 2010 to 2018. He was the sole recipient of the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. An economist by profession and a journalist by trade ...

. Iragorri, who had served as Deputy Minister of the Interior from 2010 to 2012, also served as Santos' Chief of Staff, and as High Presidential Advisor for Political Affairs.

Career

Iragorri, a

Pontifical Xavierian University The Pontifical Xavierian University (in Spanish Pontificia Universidad Javeriana) is a private higher education institution founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest, most traditional, and prestigious Colombian universities, directed by the Societ ...

educated lawyer, was appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior on 23 August 2010 serving under Minister

Federico Renjifo Vélez Federico Alonso Renjifo Vélez is the 25th Ambassador of Colombia to France dually accredited as Non-Resident Ambassador of Colombia to Algeria and Monaco. A Colombian lawyer and economist, he also served as the 30th Minister of Mines and Ener ...

in the administration of President

. As Deputy Minister of the Interior, Iragorri was appointed

acting Acting is an activity in which a story is told by means of its enactment by an actor or actress who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad r ...

Governor of Magdalena following the impeachment of Magdalena's elected governor, Omar Ricardo Díaz-Granados Velásquez, by the Office of the Comptroller General. Iragorri served only a few days, from 13 December to 29 December 2010, but shortly after, Iragorri was appointed acting Governor of Casanare following the impeachment of that department's elected governor, Oscar Raúl Iván Flórez Chávez, by the

Office of the Inspector General In the United States, Office of Inspector General (OIG) is a generic term for the oversight division of a federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their parent agency. Such offices are attached to man ...

. This time he served from 14 February to 11 April 2011. On 11 August 2011, following a restructuring of the Ministry which divided the

Ministry of the Interior and Justice The Ministry of the Interior and Justice ( es, Ministerio del Interior y Justicia, or MIJ), was at national executive ministry of the Government of Colombia responsible for the enforcement of both law and administration of justice, equivalent to ...

into the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

and the Ministry of Justice and Law, Iragorri's post changed nomenclature and went from being Deputy Minister of the Interior to Deputy Minister of Political Affairs, within the Ministry of the Interior. On 8 February 2012, Iragorri was appointed High Presidential Advisor for Political Affairs by President Santos. On 30 March 2012, Iragorri was once again appointed acting governor this time of Valle del Cauca, following the impeachment that department's elected governor, of Héctor Fabio Useche de la Cruz, by the Office of the Comptroller General. On 2 July 2013, President Santos appointed Iragorri his Chief of Staff as Director of the Administrative Department of the Presidency. Iragorri, however, only briefly remained in that position as on 5 September 2013, as part of a planned cabinet reshuffle, President Santos announced the appointment of Iragorri as the new Minister of the Interior. Iragorri was sworn in on 11 September succeeding Fernando Carrillo Flórez in the post.

Personal life

Aurelio Iragorri Valencia was born on 15 July 1966 in

Popayán Popayán () is the capital of the Colombian departments of Colombia, department of Cauca Department, Cauca. It is located in southwestern Colombia between the Cordillera Occidental (Colombia), Western Mountain Range and Cordillera Central (Colo ...

to Jorge Aurelio Iragorri Hormaza and Diana Valencia López. His father was a

Liberal party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

politician, and

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

; his mother was the daughter of President Guillermo León Valencia Muñoz. He is married to Sonia Heilbron with whom he has two children: Jorge Alejandro and María.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Iragorri Valencia, Aurelio 1966 births Living people People from Popayán Aurelio Pontifical Xavierian University alumni 20th-century Colombian lawyers Social Party of National Unity politicians Directors of the Administrative Department of the Presidency of Colombia 21st-century Colombian lawyers