Juan Marcelo Valenzuela
Juan Marcelo Valenzuela Henríquez is a Chilean politician and media-public figure.
He was elected as a member of the Chamber of Deputies of Chile, representing the 7th District in the Region of Valparaíso for the 2026-2030 legislative term, under the banner of the Party of the People.
Biography
Valenzuela emerged in public life as a local figure in Valparaíso, active in media and campaigning for representation of sectors he characterises as “outsiders” of traditional politics. He has used social media, streamed content, and publicly challenged established polling mechanisms.
Political career
In the 2025 parliamentary election Valenzuela ran in the 7th District for the Party of the People and secured his seat as part of a group of 14 elected deputies from the PDG. He emphasises representation of “emerging Chileans”, criticises pollsters, and positions himself as voice for those outside traditional political elites.
Controversies
In 2004, while completing his secondary education, he made a false bomb threat during the APEC summit sessions held at the Sheraton Hotel in Viña del Mar. Valenzuela was detained, although he was not prosecuted due to the sole decision of the provincial governor, Iván de la Maza, who chose to drop the criminal proceedings.
Following the 2021 presidential and parliamentary campaigns, he was questioned for handling the advertising for PDG candidates through "J.G.B.V.H.T. Publicidad y Marketing SpA", a company owned by both Valenzuela and Giancarlo Barbagelata, also a panelist on Bad Boys. This allowed the company to receive approximately 50 million pesos from Servel as reimbursements for electoral expenses. The company had been incorporated 18 days before the elections. The same procedure was repeated in the 2023 Constitutional Council elections, where advertising was again contracted through the company owned by Valenzuela and Barbagelata.