Carolina Tohá

Carolina Tohá
Tohá in 2022
Minister of the Interior and Public Security
In office
6 September 2022  4 March 2025
PresidentGabriel Boric
Preceded byIzkia Siches
Succeeded byÁlvaro Elizalde
Mayor of Santiago
In office
6 December 2012  6 December 2016
Preceded byPablo Zalaquett
Succeeded byFelipe Alessandri
President of the Party for Democracy
In office
15 May 2010  11 June 2012
Preceded byAdriana Muñoz D'Albora
Succeeded byJaime Quintana
Ministry Secretary General of Government
In office
12 March 2009  14 December 2009
PresidentMichelle Bachelet
Preceded byFrancisco Vidal Salinas
Succeeded byPilar Armanet
Personal details
Born
Carolina Montserrat Tohá Morales

(1965-05-12) 12 May 1965
Santiago, Chile
Political partyParty for Democracy (PPD)
Spouse(s)Nolberto Salinas (divorced)
Fulvio Rossi (2005–2010)
Jaime Madariaga (2011–present)
Alma materUniversity of Chile
University of Milan

Carolina Montserrat Tohá Morales (born May 12, 1965) is a Chilean politician and political scientist. She served as Minister of the Interior and Public Security from 2022 to 2025 under President Gabriel Boric. A founding member of the Party for Democracy (PPD), she was the first woman to serve as Minister Secretary General of Government (2009) and also the first woman elected president of the PPD (2010–2012). Tohá was a member of the Chamber of Deputies from 2002 to 2009 and later became the first woman elected mayor of Santiago by popular vote, holding office from 2012 to 2016. In March 2025, she stepped down from her ministerial position to run as a candidate in that year’s presidential election.

The daughter of former Interior Minister José Tohá, who was killed during the Pinochet dictatorship, she was forced into exile as a child. She rose to prominence in student politics during the 1980s, becoming a nationally known figure during Chile's return to democracy. She later earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Milan. In addition to her political roles, she has worked as a consultant and academic.