Armando Benedetti

Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda (born 29 August 1967) is a Colombian politician. He served as Senator of Colombia from 2006 to 2022 and Member of the Chamber of Representatives of Colombia from 2002 to 2006.

Armando Benedetti
Benedetti in 2016
Ambassador of Colombia to Venezuela
In office
24 August 2022 – 19 July 2023
PresidentGustavo Petro
Preceded byGermán Castañeda
Succeeded byMilton Rengifo
President of the Senate
In office
20 July 2010 (2010-07-20) – 20 July 2011 (2011-07-20)
Preceded byJavier Enrique Cáceres
Succeeded byJuan Manuel Corzo
Senator of Colombia
In office
20 July 2006 (2006-07-20) – 20 July 2022 (2022-07-20)
Member of the Chamber of Representatives
In office
20 July 2002 (2002-07-20) – 20 July 2006 (2006-07-20)
ConstituencyCapital District
Personal details
Born
Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda

(1967-08-29) 29 August 1967
Barranquilla, Atlántico, Colombia
Political partyHumane Colombia (2020-present)
Social Party of National Unity (2005-2020)
Liberal (1998-2005)
Other political
affiliations		Historic Pact for Colombia (2021-present)
Alma materPontifical Xavierian University
Websitewww.armandobenedetti.com
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Benedetti and the second or maternal family name is Villaneda.

Career

Benedetti attended the Pontifical Xavierian University, and graduated with a degree in communication studies.[1] He briefly worked as a reporter for Noticiero QAP between 1990 and 1991,[2] and later served as political adviser to Eduardo Verano de la Rosa during the 1991 Constituent Assembly.[2] He served as Secretary General of Public Establishments of the National Traffic and Transport Institute (Intra) between 1992 and 1993,[2] and was later appointed deputy director of the Colombia Health Resource Company (Ecosalud), serving from 1996 to 1997.[2]

In 1998, Benedetti was elected to the Bogotá City Council as a Liberal party candidate, and head of his electoral list.[1] He served as Council Member until 2000, when he decided not to seek re-election in order to run for Congress.

Congressman

During the 2002 parliamentary elections, Benedetti ran for a seat in the Chamber of Representatives for the circumscription of the Capital District as a Liberal candidate and head of his electoral list.[3] He won with 31,855 votes.[3]

Senator

In 2006, Benedetti decided to run in the 2006 parliamentary elections, this time for a seat in the Senate, and this time as a Social Party of National Unity candidate.[4] He won a seat in the national elections with 50,356 votes.[4]

In 2010, Benedetti was re-elected to the Senate with 81,029 votes,[5] On 20 July 2010, Benedetti was elected by his peers President of the Senate. As President of the Senate, Benedetti administered the oath of office to President Juan Manuel Santos Calderón when he took office the following month on 7 August.[6]

Ambassador

In August 2022, President Petro appointed Benedetti as Ambassador to Venezuela. On June 2, 2023, Ambassador Benedetti submitted a letter of resignation to President Petro after recordings of phone conversations surfaced in the media. In these, Benedetti threatened President Petro's Chief of Staff, Laura Sarabia, with releasing information regarding Petro's campaign financing that could, according to him, topple the government and send people to prison.[7] Sarabia, who got her start in politics as an aide to Benedetti, resigned as Chief of Staff on June 2, 2023.

Personal life

Armando Alberto was born on 29 August 1967 in Barranquilla, Colombia, to Armando Benedetti Jimeno and Genoveva Villaneda Jiménez.[1][2][8][9] His sister Ángela María is the current Ambassador of Colombia to Panama.[10]

References
  1. "Senador Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda" (in Spanish). Bogotá: CongresoVisible.org. Archived from the original on 8 July 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  2. "Armando Alberto Benedetti Villaneda" (in Spanish). Votebien.com: Elecciones 2002. 2002. Archived from the original on 27 April 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  3. "Histórico de Resultados Electorales: 2002: Congreso: Votos Cámara: Curules: Bogotá" (in Spanish). Bogotá: Colombia, National Civil Registry. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  4. "Histórico de Resultados Electorales: 2006: Congreso: Senado: Nacional: Partido Social de Unidad Nacional: Armando Benedetti" (in Spanish). Bogotá: Colombia, National Civil Registry. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  5. "Histórico de Resultados Electorales: 2010: Votación por partidos: Senado" (PDF) (in Spanish). Bogotá: Colombia, National Civil Registry. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  6. Political Handbook of the World 2018-2019. Lansford. ((Revised and Updated edition) ed.). [Place of publication not identified]: CQ Press. 2019. ISBN 9781544327129. OCLC 1104299327.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Semana (2023-06-05). "Explosivos audios de Benedetti a Sarabia. Dice saber la verdad sobre la campaña de Gustavo Petro en 2022, que consiguió todos los votos y que, si habla, van presos todos". Semana.com Últimas Noticias de Colombia y el Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-06-08.
  8. "Armando Benedetti" (in Spanish). Bogotá: La Silla Vacia. 17 November 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  9. "Armando Benedetti conoció el infierno" (in Spanish). KienyKe. 27 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
  10. "Colombian ambassador to Panama named in corruption scandal". Newsroom Panama. 2013-06-08. Retrieved 2019-11-08.
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