Rodrigo Ernesto Rojas Vade (born 10 October 1983) is a Chilean former

political activist A political movement is a collective attempt by a group of people to change government policy or social values. Political movements are usually in opposition to an element of the status quo, and are often associated with a certain ideology. Some ...

who was elected in 2021 as a member of the

Chilean Constitutional Convention The Constitutional Convention () was the constituent body of the Republic of Chile in charge of drafting a new Political Constitution of the Republic after the approval of the national plebiscite held in October 2020. Its creation and regulatio ...

. He became an icon of the

2019 Chilean protests Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

falsely claiming to have

leukaemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia; pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and produce high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or '' ...

and alleging to be a victim of the healthcare system and using a discourse against high medical costs in Chile. Later it was revealed that he actually had syphilis. Rojas is nicknamed ''Pelao Vade'' (bald Vade) and was one of founding members of

The List of the People The List of the People () was a loose coalition of independent candidates that was created in Chile to participate in the 2021 elections for members of the Constitutional Convention. Despite its success in the May 2021 elections, a series of s ...

, a former far-left political grouping which won 17% of seats in the Convention. He is openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

. During his campaign in 2021, Rojas used his false diagnosis of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

. This revelation, brought to light by the Chilean newspaper ''

La Tercera (), formerly known as (), is a daily newspaper published in Santiago, Chile and owned by Copesa. It is s closest competitor. is part of Periódicos Asociados Latinoamericanos ( Latin American Newspaper Association), an organization of fourte ...

'' in September 2021, resulted in his resignation from the position of Adjunct Vice President of the Constitutional Convention, followed by his departure from the Convention entirely. Also, the Public prosecutor's office indicted Rojas Vade for al teast 30 counts of residual fraud; and in Frebruary 2023, he was convicted and sentenced for committing this crime by the justice of his country.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Puente Alto Puente Alto (Spanish: "Tall Bridge") is a city and commune of Chile. It is the capital of the Cordillera Province in the Santiago Metropolitan Region, and is located in the south-east corner of the Greater Santiago conurbation. Puente Alto has ...

, Rojas's father worked in

Movistar Movistar () is a major telecommunications provider owned by Telefónica, operating in Spain and Hispanic American countries. It is the largest provider of landline, broadband, Mobile telephony, mobile services, and pay television (Movistar Plus+ ...

, a Chilean telephone company, and his mother was a homemaker. He studied Theater at the Universidad Mayor, but dropped out due to his family's financial situation. Later he would become a technician in aeronautical prevention, being hired in 2009 by airliner LAN (now LATAM), where he served as a cabin crew member. He later went on to work as a flight attendant for Jetsmart Chile.

Constitutional Convention

In May 2021, Rojas was elected as constituent for

District 13 ''District B13'' ( French title ''Banlieue 13'' or ''B13''), is a 2004 French action film directed by Pierre Morel, produced by Luc Besson, and written by Besson and Bibi Naceri. It depicts parkour in several action sequences, which was complet ...

, representing working class communes of southern

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

. Rojas's alleged cancer condition was met with empathy across the political spectrum, like fellow constituent Carol Bown of the right-wing

UDI Udi may refer to: Places * Udi, Enugu, a local government areas and city in Nigeria * Udi Hills, Enugu State, Nigeria * Udi, a place in the Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh, India People Given name * Udi Aloni (born 1959), Israeli-American film ...

party, with whom he participated in dialogues organized by broadcaster

Chilevisión Chilevisión (often abbreviated as CHV) is a Chilean free-to-air television channel. It is the third oldest Chilean television network, owned by Paramount Networks Americas, being founded by the University of Chile on November 4, 1960. Hist ...

. In his September 2021 confession, Rojas said that several years before the election he had been diagnosed with a condition that carried a "great stigma" —which he did not reveal—, telling his family and friends that he had cancer. The scandal was covered by many international news outlets. Similarly, he was denounced by the Convention's board led by Elisa Loncón and Jaime Bassa, president and vice-president of that organ. On 8 September 2021, Rojas was expelled from "Pueblo Constituyente," the political force heir of the original List of the People. On 20 September 2021, Rojas tendered his resignation to the Convention, despite the fact that, at the time, the Constitution did not permit resignations unless they were due to certified medical reasons as determined by the Constitutional Court. On 11 March 2022, Rojas formally resigned from the Convention, coinciding with the publication of a constitutional reform passed by Congress to facilitate such resignations.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vade, Pelao Living people 1983 births 2019–2020 Chilean protests Chilean activists Activists from Santiago, Chile Members of the List of the People Members of the Chilean Constitutional Convention Political scandals in Chile Chilean gay politicians People convicted of fraud