Juan Antonio Coloma Correa (born 15 July 1956) is a Chilean politician who currently serves as a member of the Senate of Chile. Similarly, he is father of the deputy Juan Antonio Coloma ÃÂlamos. On 15 March 2023 to 19 March 2024, he was elected President of the Senate.
He served as President of the Senate for the 2023âÂÂ2024 legislative term. A long-time member of his party, he previously held positions as its Secretary-General (1994âÂÂ2001), Vice-President (2002âÂÂ2004) and President (2008âÂÂ2012).
He served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile for the former 31st District for three consecutive terms (1990âÂÂ2002), and later as senator for the 10th Circunscription of the Maule Region between 2002 and 2018.
Since March 2018 he has represented the reformed 9th Circunscription of the same region for the 2018âÂÂ2026 legislative period.
Born in Santiago, Coloma is the son of Fernando Coloma and Carmen Correa LarraÃÂn, and grandson of the conservative politician Juan Antonio Coloma Mellado.
He studied at Colegio San Ignacio de El Bosque and earned his law degree from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, graduating in 1979 with the ëCarlos Casanueva Awardû. He is married to MarÃÂa Cecilia ÃÂlamos Jordán and has eight children, including deputy Juan Antonio Coloma ÃÂlamos.
During his university years, Coloma served as vice-president (1975) and later President (1977) of the Student Federation of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile (FEUC), appointed by the military government.
That same year he participated in the symbolic Acto de Chacarillas organised by the National Youth Front (FJUN), of which he later became president (1980âÂÂ1981). He was part of the founding group of the Independent Democratic Union and a member of the Council of State that contributed to the drafting of the 1980 Constitution.
Elected to the Chamber of Deputies in the 1989 elections, he represented the 31st District (Melipilla, Talagante, Peñaflor and neighbouring communes) until 2002. During his tenure he served as Second Vice-President of the Chamber (1990âÂÂ1992) and took part in committees on Government, Legislation and Regional Development.
In 2001 Coloma was elected senator for the Maule Region (10th Circunscription), being re-elected in 2009. In the upper house he chaired the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Agriculture, and Public Works, and participated in the Bicameral Committee on Budgets. As party president (2008âÂÂ2012), he oversaw the UDI's consolidation within the Alianza coalition and supported the presidential campaign of JoaquÃÂn LavÃÂn.
Re-elected in 2017 for the newly created 9th Circunscription, he continued to serve in the Senate, chairing the Committees on Finance (2022âÂÂ2023) and later on Future, Science and Innovation from 2024 onwards. Throughout his career, Coloma has been regarded as one of the principal conservative leaders of the Chilean right.