Javier Fernando García Duchini (born 28 November 1963) is a Uruguayan politician of the National Party, currently serving as Senator of the Republic since 2024. He previously served as Minister of National Defense from 2020 to 2024 under

Luis Lacalle Pou Luis Alberto Aparicio Alejandro Lacalle Pou (, ; born 11 August 1973), is a Uruguayan politician and lawyer, who served as the 42nd president of Uruguay from 2020 to 2025. The son of former president Luis Alberto Lacalle, Lacalle Pou attended ...

, and as National Representative on several occasions.

Early life

García was born on 28 November 1963 in the capital city of

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

. Through his mother, Margarita Duchini, he is of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

descent. García is a graduate of the Faculty of Medicine at the

University of the Republic The University of the Republic (, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is a public research university in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is the country's oldest and largest university, as well as one of the largest public universities in South America in terms of en ...

, receiving his Doctor of Medicine degree in 1991. Thereafter, García began his specialization in

pediatrics Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...

. García began his political activities within the Movement for the Homeland as an opponent of the

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

Political career

In 2004, García accompanied

Jorge Larrañaga Jorge Washington Larrañaga Fraga (8 August 1956 – 22 May 2021) was a Uruguayan lawyer and politician of the National Party (Uruguay), National Party (PN) who served as Ministry of the Interior (Uruguay), Minister of the Interior from 1 ...

in the presidential candidacy. Together with Pablo Iturralde, they lead a successful list for Montevideo. In the

2004 Uruguayan general election General elections were held in Uruguay on 31 October, alongside a constitutional referendum.Dieter Nohlen (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II'', p494 The result was a victory for the Broad Front, marking the first ti ...

, García was elected deputy for the

National Alliance National Alliance may refer to: Electoral alliances *National Alliance (Egypt) (2015) * National Alliance (Ireland) (2024 onwards) * National Alliance (Pakistan) (2002-2004) *Nation Alliance (Turkey) (2018-2023) Political parties and organizations ...

sector of the National Party. In the 2005 municipal elections, García was the only candidate of the National Party to the Intendant of Montevideo. In the 2009 primary elections, he again supported the candidacy of Jorge Larrañaga as a candidate for the presidency of the National Party. At the end of December 2012, García announced his separation from the National Alliance sector and aligned himself with future president Luis Alberto Lacalle Pou, who at that time, was a presidential candidate for the 2014 presidential primaries. In the 2019 general election, García was the second

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

candidate on the Space 40 list, headed by Lacalle Pou. He was elected Senator of the Republic. After Lacalle Pou's election, he was appointed Minister of National Defense, a position he assumed on 1 March 2020.

Controversies

On 18 November 2016, Semanario Brecha indicated that García had failed to clarify on numerous press releases that he did not have the title of pediatrician that was awarded to him. In an interview with that newspaper, Garcia admitted that he did not possess the pediatrician title stating "I do not award myself or let myself be awarded" and denounced what he considered an attack on himself.

Personal life

He is married to Rosana Supparo and together they have three children: Alfonso, Belén, and Delfina.

References

External links

* * * Living people 1963 births Uruguayan people of Italian descent Uruguayan people of Spanish descent University of the Republic (Uruguay) alumni Uruguayan pediatricians National Party (Uruguay) politicians Defence ministers of Uruguay {{Uruguay-politician-stub