Marcela Paola Vessvessian (born 19 March 1971) is an

Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...

politician, currently serving as National Deputy elected in Santa Cruz. A member of

Kolina Kolina (an acronym of Corriente de Liberación Nacional; lit. "National Liberation Current") is a Kirchnerism, kirchnerist political party in Argentina founded in 2010 by Alicia Kirchner, sister of former president of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner. ...

, she was elected in

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

as part of the

Frente de Todos The Frente de Todos (translated as "Everyone's Front") is a coalition of Peronist and Kirchnerist political parties in Argentina formed to support President Alberto Fernández and Vice President Cristina Kirchner. Fernández won the 2019 gene ...

. Vessvessian previously served as Minister of Social Development of Santa Cruz during the first governorship of

Alicia Kirchner Alicia Margarita Kirchner (born 18 July 1946) is an Argentine politician. She is the elder sister of the late former President Néstor Kirchner and served in his government as Minister of Social Development, a role which she held under President ...

(2015–2019).

Early life

Vessvessian was born on 19 March 1971 in

Río Gallegos Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

, Santa Cruz into a family of Armenian background. She counts with a ''

licenciatura A licentiate (abbreviated Lic.) is an academic degree present in many countries, representing different educational levels. It may be similar to a master's degree when issued by pontifical universities and other universities in Europe, Latin Am ...

'' degree on Social Work.

Political career

Vessvessian's political career began under the mentorship of

. When Kirchner split from the

Justicialist Party The Justicialist Party ( es, Partido Justicialista, ; abbr. PJ) is a major political party in Argentina, and the largest branch within Peronism. Current president Alberto Fernández belongs to the Justicialist Party (and has, since 2021, served ...

and formed

, Vessvessian became part of the new party's national authority. During Kirchner's administration the Ministry of Social Development, Vessvessian served as secretary of childhood, adolescence, and families, and chaired the National Committee for the Coordination of Social Policies. In 2015, following Kirchner's election as governor of Santa Cruz, Vessvessian was appointed as the province's minister of social development. In the 2019 legislative election, Vessvessian ran for a seat in the National Chamber of Deputies as the second candidate in the

list, behind

Pablo Gerardo González Pablo Gerardo González (born 13 June 1968) is an Argentine politician who served as a National Deputy and a National Senator for Santa Cruz. A member of the Justicialist Party, González also served as Vice Governor of Santa Cruz under Alic ...

. The Frente de Todos list was the most voted in Santa Cruz, with 62.13% of the vote, and both González and Vessvessian were elected. She was sworn in on 4 December 2019. As a national deputy, Vessvessian formed part of the parliamentary commissions on Petitions, Powers and Norms, Women and Diversity, Sports, Elderly People, Co-operative Affairs and NGOs, and Social Action and Public Health. She was also elected by her peers as president of the bicameral commission to appoint an Ombudsperson for Children. Vessvessian was a supporter of the 2020 Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy bill, which legalised abortion in Argentina.

References

External links

Profile on the official website of the Chamber of Deputies
(in Spanish) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vessvessian, Paola Living people 1971 births People from Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz Argentine people of Armenian descent Argentine social workers Members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies elected in Santa Cruz Women members of the Argentine Chamber of Deputies Justicialist Party politicians Kolina politicians 21st-century Argentine politicians 21st-century Argentine women politicians