Manuel Velasco Coello

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

Manuel Velasco Coello (born 7 April 1980) is a Mexican lawyer and politician and a member of PVEM. He served as the Governor of Chiapas from 2012 to 2018. He was the first PVEM politician to become a governor. Prior to his governorship, he served as a state deputy, Federal deputy and Senator, each time becoming the youngest person to ever hold such office.

Manuel Velasco Coello
Velasco in 2012
Governor of Chiapas
In office 8 December 2012 – 7 December 2018
Preceded by	Juan Sabines Guerrero
Succeeded by	Rutilio Escandón
President of the National Conference of Governors
Incumbent
Assumed office 22 May 2018
Preceded by	Arturo Núñez Jiménez
Senator of the Congress of the Union for Chiapas First Formula
In office 1 September 2006 – 28 February 2012
Preceded by	José Antonio Aguilar Bodegas
Succeeded by	Luis Armando Melgar Bravo
Deputy of the Congress of the Union Plurinominal
In office 1 September 2003 – 24 April 2006
Member of the Congress of Chiapas Plurinominal
In office 15 November 2001 – 31 August 2003
Personal details
Born	(1980-04-07) 7 April 1980 (age 45) Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, Mexico
Political party	PVEM
Spouse	Anahí Puente ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	Manuel (b. 2017) Emiliano (b. 2020)
Profession	Lawyer and politician

Velasco Coello was elected as a Senator in 2018 and served his term until 2024. In the 2024 Senate election, he was re-elected for a term extending to 2030. He currently serves as the coordinator of the PVEM parliamentary group and is a member of the Political Coordination Board.^[1] Additionally, he is a member of the Belisario Domínguez Medal Committee.^[2]

Life and career

Velasco was born on 7 April 1980 in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas' capital. He was elected to Congress of Chiapas in 2001, becoming the youngest person to be ever elected to Chiapas' state legislature.

In 2003, he was elected Deputy of the LIX Legislature of the Mexican Congress representing Chiapas.^[3] At the age of 23, he became the youngest person to serve as a federal deputy. He left his Chamber seat to run for Senate, winning Chiapas' seat in the July elections. At the age of 26, Velasco set another history by becoming the youngest Senator in Mexican history.^[4]

In 2012, Velasco ran on a PRI-PVEM coalition ticket in the 2012 gubernatorial election and won, becoming Chiapas' governor later that year.^[5]

On December 9 2014, a video showing Velasco slap one of his assistants went viral. The video, recorded on a mobile phone, presents Velasco Coello behind a mesh barrier saluting people, when a woman dressed in red pulls his arm and the governor leads her to a young man walking behind him. After indicating the woman to talk to his assistant, unexpectedly, the governor slaps the young man in the face and, while walking, he is seen recriminating him as he follows Velasco. Velasco was forced to publicly apologise.^[6]

Personal life

He is the son of Leticia Coello Garrido and José Manuel Velasco Siles (1948–1988) and is married to actress and singer Anahí, with whom he has two sons.^[7]

He is the grandson of the former Governor of Chiapas, Manuel Velasco Suárez.^{[citation needed]}