Pelao Vade

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

Rodrigo Ernesto Rojas Vade^[1] (born 10 October 1983)^[2] is a Chilean former political activist who was elected in 2021 as a member of the Chilean Constitutional Convention.^[3][4] He became an icon of the 2019 Chilean protests^[5] falsely claiming to have leukaemia and alleging to be a victim of the healthcare system and using a discourse against high medical costs in Chile.^[6][7] Later it was revealed that he actually had syphilis.^[8][9]

Rodrigo Rojas Vade
Rojas Vade in 2021
Member of the Constitutional Convention
In office 4 July 2021 – 16 March 2022
Constituency	13th District
Adjunct Vice President of the Constitutional Convention
In office 29 July 2021 – 5 September 2021
Preceded by	Creation of the office
Succeeded by	Tania Madriaga
Personal details
Born	Rodrigo Ernesto Rojas Vade (1983-10-10) 10 October 1983 (age 42) Santiago, Chile
Other political affiliations	The List of the People
Occupation	Political activist

Rojas is nicknamed Pelao Vade (bald Vade)^[10] and was one of founding members of The List of the People, a former far-left political grouping which won 17% of seats in the Convention.^[11] He is openly gay.^[12][13]

During his campaign in 2021, Rojas used his false diagnosis of cancer.^[6] This revelation, brought to light by the Chilean newspaper La Tercera in September 2021, resulted in his resignation from the position of Adjunct Vice President of the Constitutional Convention, followed by his departure from the Convention entirely.^[14] Also, the Public prosecutor's office indicted Rojas Vade for at least 30 counts of residual fraud; and in February 2023, he was convicted and sentenced for committing this crime by the justice of his country.^[7]

Biography

Early life

Born in Puente Alto, Rojas's father worked in Movistar, a Chilean telephone company, and his mother was a homemaker. He studied Theater at the Universidad Mayor, but dropped out due to his family's financial situation. Later he would become a technician in aeronautical prevention, being hired in 2009 by airliner LAN (now LATAM), where he served as a cabin crew member. He later went on to work as a flight attendant for Jetsmart Chile.^[3]

Constitutional Convention

In May 2021, Rojas was elected as constituent for District 13,^[3][15] representing working class communes of southern Santiago.^[3]

Rojas's alleged cancer condition was met with empathy across the political spectrum, like fellow constituent Carol Bown of the right-wing UDI party,^[16][17] with whom he participated in dialogues organized by broadcaster Chilevisión.^[18][19]

In his September 2021 confession, Rojas said that several years before the election he had been diagnosed with a condition that carried a "great stigma" —which he did not reveal—, telling his family and friends that he had cancer.^[6] The scandal was covered by many international news outlets.^{[20][21][22][23][24][25][26]} Similarly, he was denounced by the Convention's board led by Elisa Loncón and Jaime Bassa, president and vice-president of that organ.^[27]

On 8 September 2021, Rojas was expelled from "Pueblo Constituyente," the political force heir of the original List of the People.^[28][29]

On 20 September 2021, Rojas tendered his resignation to the Convention, despite the fact that, at the time, the Constitution did not permit resignations unless they were due to certified medical reasons as determined by the Constitutional Court.^[30]

On 11 March 2022, Rojas formally resigned from the Convention, coinciding with the publication of a constitutional reform passed by Congress to facilitate such resignations.^[31]