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. 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 Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (English: Xavierian Pontifical University) is a private university in Colombia founded in 1623. It is one of the oldest and most traditional Colombian universities, directed by the Society of Jesus, with its ...

educated lawyer, was appointed Deputy Minister of the Interior on 23 August 2010 serving under Minister Federico Renjifo Vélez in the administration of President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón. 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 who adopts a character—in theatre, television, film, radio, or any other medium that makes use of the mimetic mode. Acting involves a broad range of sk ...

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 List of federal agencies in the United States, federal or state agency aimed at preventing inefficient or unlawful operations within their p ...

. 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 into the

Ministry of the Interior An interior ministry or ministry of the interior (also called ministry of home affairs or ministry of internal affairs) is a government department that is responsible for domestic policy, public security and law enforcement. In some states, the ...

and the Ministry of Justice and Law, Iragorri's post changed nomenclature and went from 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 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. For example, while the political systems ...

politician, and

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; 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 Pontificia Universidad Javeriana 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