Marcelo Orrego

He previously served as National Deputy from 2019 to 2023, and as intendente (mayor) of his hometown, Santa Lucía, from 2011 to 2019. He is a member of the minor local Production and Labour party.

Marcelo Orrego
Governor of San Juan
Incumbent
Assumed office 10 December 2023
Vice Governor	Fabián Martín
Preceded by	Sergio Uñac
National Deputy
In office 10 December 2019 – 10 December 2023
Constituency	San Juan
Mayor of Santa Lucía
In office 10 December 2011 – 10 December 2019
Preceded by	Aníbal Fuentes
Succeeded by	Juan José Orrego
Personal details
Born	(1975-01-29) 29 January 1975 (age 49) Santa Lucía, San Juan Province, Argentina
Political party	Production and Labour
Other political affiliations	Juntos por el Cambio (2019–present)
Alma mater	National University of Córdoba

Orrego was born on 29 January 1975 in Santa Lucía, the head town of the homonymous Santa Lucía Department, in southern San Juan Province. He studied law at the National University of Córdoba, graduating in 2001.

Orrego served as an aide at the parliamentary office of Roberto Basualdo during Basualdo's term as National Deputy from 2001 to 2005. In 2007, Orrego ran for the mayoralty of Santa Lucía, but lost to Aníbal Fuentes. He ran again in 2011, this time winning against incumbent Fuentes. He was re-elected in 2015.

In the 2019 provincial election, Orrego ran for the governorship of San Juan Province, as the candidate of the Frente Con Vos and in alliance with Juntos por el Cambio. He received 32% of the vote, and lost to Sergio Uñac of the Justicialist Party, who received over 54% of the vote. Just months later, in the 2019 legislative election, Orrego ran for a seat in the lower house of the National Congress, as the first candidate in the Juntos por el Cambio list. The list received 38.37% of the vote, and Orrego was elected. He was succeeded in the Santa Lucía mayoralty by his brother, Juan José Orrego.

As a national deputy, Orrego formed part of the parliamentary commissions on Mining, Constitutional Affairs, Commerce, Sports, Mercosur, and Foreign Affairs. Orrego was an opponent of the legalization of abortion in Argentina, voting against the 2020 Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy bill, which passed the Chamber and later went on to legalize abortion nationwide. He would later introduce a failed bill to repeal the Voluntary Interruption of Pregnancy law.

In 2021, he was subject to controversy when, during a parliamentary commission debate held through videoconference, he unwittingly turned his microphone on and was overheard insulting a legislative aide.

In the 2023 San Juan provincial election, Orrego became the provincial governor by defeating the Union for the Homeland's gubernatorial candidates, ending 20 years of Peronist rule in San Juan.