Jennifer Arias

Jennifer Kristin Arias Falla (born 13 January 1987) is a Colombian politician who was President of the country's House of Representatives in 2021–2022.

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Arias and the second or maternal family name is Falla.

Jennifer Arias
President of the Chamber of Representatives
In office
20 July 2021 – 20 July 2022
Preceded byGermán Blanco
Succeeded byDavid Racero
Member of the Chamber of Representatives
Assumed office
20 July 2015
ConstituencyMeta
Personal details
Born
Jennifer Kristin Arias Falla

(1987-01-13) 13 January 1987
New York City, U.S.
NationalityColombian
Political partyDemocratic Center
OccupationPolitician

Early life and education

Arias was born in New York City, United States, on 13 January 1987 to contractor Luis Eduardo Arias Castellanos and Laura Falla Londoño.[1] The names "Jennifer Kristin" were given by the nurse who attended her mother's Caesarean section.[2] She has six brothers; her father was convicted of murder in 1993.[1] A construction worker and cattle rancher, he was a victim of extortion and displacement by FARC when Arias was 14.[2][3]

Arias studied industrial engineering at the University of Los Andes and has a master's degree in Government and Public Policy from the Universidad Externado de Colombia.[4] On 2 November 2021, following a report of plagiarism by the website Plagio S.O.S.[5] in her master's thesis, Universidad Externado opened an investigation. Later, on 22 November 2021 the university confirmed plagiarism in her dissertation[6] . The university stated that it will pursue the annulation of the aforementioned degree, and sent the relevant documentation to the criminal chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of Colombia and the Office of the Attorney General of Colombia.

Arias was "Miss Meta" at the Miss Colombia 2007 pageant.[1]

Career

Arias worked as an advisor to the Secretary of Agriculture in Meta and social manager of Aguas de Bogota.[4] She has also been a lobbyist for the aviation industry.[1]

Arias has a member of the Democratic Center Party since its founding and was its director in Meta.[4] She was a candidate for Mayor of Villavicencio in the 2015 regional elections.[4] She was a member of a consortium who had a 214 million peso contract for the construction of various public spaces in the capital of Meta which had been extended until December 2014, and ran for mayor despite a law that establishes candidates cannot have a contract with the state for one year prior to an election.[1][3]

Arias worked for Iván Duque Márquez's campaign during the 2018 presidential election, leading his campaigns in the departments of Vaupes and Guaviare.[1] She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018, representing Meta. In 2019, when former rebel Jesús Santrich was sworn into the house, Arias left the chamber in protest after talking about a member of her family being killed during the conflict.[7]

Under political agreements made in 2018 as part of the Colombian peace process, the Democratic Center Party would hold the presidency of the House of Representatives from 2021 to 2022. Arias was selected as the party's candidate by party leader and former President Álvaro Uribe, who she describes as her mentor.[1]

In July 2021, her election as President of the House of Representatives was ratified, making her the third woman to hold the role. She is also Vice President of the Congress of the Republic. Her appointment was criticized by members of the opposition because her brother is imprisoned in the United States for drug trafficking and allegations that she had ties to drug trafficking and money laundering while working as Duque's campaign manager.[1][3][8] After her election, journalist Maria Jimena Duzan published an image of Arias posing with a gun; her press team said it was a "Halloween prank".[8][9] Arias later said it was an example of women in Colombian politics being stigmatized because of their appearance.[10]

In September 2021, fellow party member and representative Gabriel Santos put "Wanted posters" of Arias throughout Congress after she had delayed signing legislation to cut vacations of members of congress for its work to progress.[11]

Personal life

Arias is a committed Catholic.[2]

References
  1. Peace and Reconciliation Foundation (8 July 2021). "Los enredos de Jennifer Arias que le hundirían la Presidencia de la Cámara" (in Spanish). Las 2 Orillas. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  2. Castillo, Robinson. "Jennifer Arias: La persistencia en la política" (in Spanish). Kienyke.
  3. "Jennifer Arias, nueva presidenta de la Cámara". El Tiempo (in Spanish). 21 July 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  4. "Representante a la Cámara Jennifer Kristin Arias Falla" (in Spanish). Congreso Visible. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  5. "Confirman investigación por presunto plagio de Jennifer Arias". El Colombiano. 31 October 2021. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
  6. "La U. Externado confirma que sí hubo plagio en la tesis de Jennifer Arias". El Espectador. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2021.
  7. "Rocky start in Colombia's congress for ex-rebel wanted in US". Taiwan News. Associated Press. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  8. Alsema, Adriaan (23 July 2021). "The drug trafficking problem of Colombia's Congress". Colombia Reports. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  9. "Jennifer Arias generated a controversy in networks for her photos". Memesita. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  10. "Jennifer Arias: machismo político en pleno furor" (in Spanish). Semana. 31 July 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
  11. "Uribe, molesto con Gabriel Santos por llamar sepulturera a Jennifer Arias: "debo censurar el irrespeto"" (in Spanish). Infobae. 14 September 2021. Retrieved 9 October 2021.
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