Gastón Frez
Gastón Frez | |
|---|---|
| Minister-Director of the Office of National Planning | |
| In office 1982–1982 | |
| Preceded by | Luis Danús |
| Succeeded by | Sergio Pérez Hormázabal |
| President-Executive of Codelco | |
| In office 1976–1981 | |
| Preceded by | Rolando Ramos Muñoz |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Chile |
| Died | Chile |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Chile |
| Branch/service | Chilean Army |
| Rank | General |
Gastón Frez Arancibia was a Chilean Army general and state official who, during the military regime of Augusto Pinochet, held senior positions in Chile’s state mining and planning institutions.
He served as President-Executive of the state copper company Codelco from 1976 to 1981 and briefly as Minister-Director of the Office of National Planning (ODEPLAN) in 1982.[1] Frez’s legacy is mainly associated with the consolidation of Chile’s state-owned copper sector during the Pinochet era.[2]
Some analysts describe him as part of the «military-bureaucratic» current within the dictatorship that sought to preserve strategic public enterprises while the broader economy moved toward liberalization.[3]
Early life and career
Frez trained as an officer in the Chilean Army, ultimately reaching the rank of general.[2]
He emerged in senior state roles during the 1970s, coinciding with the consolidation of the military government.
Role at Codelco
In 1976, Frez was appointed President-Executive of Codelco, the National Copper Corporation created earlier that year after the nationalization of copper.[1]
According to Chilean media and academic analyses, Frez defended the state-owned character of Codelco against pressures to privatize the mining industry.[4]
His tenure coincided with the first signs of economic slowdown that preceded the 1982–1983 crisis.[5]
Planning office and later career
In 1982, Frez was appointed Minister-Director of the ODEPLAN, a key institution for coordinating development policy under the regime.
His appointment reflected the military government’s strategy of combining technocratic economists with senior officers in leadership roles.[2]
References
- ^ a b "14 presidentes ejecutivos en 43 años de historia de Codelco". IIMCh (in Spanish). Instituto de Ingenieros de Minas de Chile. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ a b c "The State and the Making of Capitalist Modernity in Chile" (PDF). SciSpace. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "Nueva arremetida para privatizar Codelco Chile". Los Andes Online (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "El término del ciclo de una generación de Codelco-Chile". Le Monde Diplomatique (Chile) (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2025.
- ^ "La caída en 1982 y 1983 del "milagro económico" de la dictadura militar". Interferencia.cl (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2025.