Early career He entered politics under the mentorship of
Alberto Espina, who in the mid-1980s served as a youth leader of the
National Union Movement (MUN), a group that supported the
military regime of
Augusto Pinochet. Hinzpeter met Espina at university and, with his support, was elected to the Higher Council on the MUN list. Between 2005 and 2006 he served as campaign manager for Piñera in the
presidential election, after being one of the main promoters of Piñera’s candidacy separate from that of
Joaquín Lavín. His tenure was marked by security initiatives such as the proposed Public Order Strengthening bill, commonly referred to as the “Hinzpeter Law,” which sought to penalize certain forms of protest; the bill was ultimately not approved by Congress. Other controversies during his time in office included police responses to social protests, the killing of student Manuel Gutiérrez during the
2011–2013 Chilean student protests, tensions with Mapuche organizations such as the Arauco-Malleco Coordinator (CAM), and police operations affecting Mapuche communities. Public opinion surveys indicated a decline in his approval ratings during his first two years in office. During a cabinet reshuffle on 5 November 2012, he left the Interior Ministry and was appointed
Minister of National Defense, replacing
Andrés Allamand. He remained in that position until 11 March 2014. ==References==