Chile president Boric welcomes first child, Violeta

Chile President Gabriel Boric announced Thursday that he had become a father, with his child the first to be born to a sitting Chilean head of state in almost 100 years.

Boric said he and his partner Paula were "very happy" following the birth of Violeta Boric Carrasco on Wednesday night at the University of Chile public hospital in Santiago.

"Violeta is doing well and is healthy," Boric, 39, said outside the hospital.

The left-wing leader spoke of his "deep admiration" for his 31-year-old partner, Paula Carrasco, an environmental chemist and professional basketball player.

"Now, when I speak as president, I will also be speaking as a father," he said with a smile.

Boric is the first Chilean president to have a child outside of marriage.

He will take the five days of parental leave to which Chilean men are entitled when they become fathers, regardless of their marital status, his aides told AFP.

Carrasco, who has a son from a previous relationship, works in the environment ministry.

She and Boric met in October 2023 during the Pan American Games held in Chile.

She is the president's second partner since he took office in March 2022. 

He was previously in a relationship with political scientist and sociologist Irina Karamanos. 

The last Chilean president to have a child while in office was Carlos Ibanez del Campo, an army officer, who became a father in 1930 during his first mandate. 

He went on to serve a second term in the 1950s.