José Luis Federici

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José Luis Federici Rojas (born January 1, 1934, in Viña del Mar) is a Chilean commercial engineer and independent politician. He held several public roles during General Augusto Pinochet’s military government, including director of the state railway company EFE, Minister of Transport and Telecommunications (April 1977 – December 1979), and Minister of Economy (December 1979 – December 1980). In August 1987 he was appointed Rector of the University of Chile, a position he held briefly until October 1987. His short tenure sparked the Federici Strike, a major student movement opposing the University Rationalization Plan (PRU), which aimed to reduce staff, close programs, and sell assets. The protests became a key point of opposition to the regime ahead of the 1988 plebiscite and led to his removal and the cancellation of the PRU.