Francisco Vidal Salinas

{{BLP sources|date=March 2012}}

{{Short description|Chilean politician}}

{{family name hatnote|Vidal|Salinas|lang=Spanish}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Francisco Vidal

| image = Francisco Vidal.jpg

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=y|1953|9|20}}

| birth_place = Santiago, Chile

| office = Minister of Defense

| president = Michelle Bachelet

| term_start = 12 March 2009

| term_end = 11 March 2010

| predecessor = José Goñi

| successor = Jaime Ravinet

| office1 = Minister General Secretariat of Government

| term_start1 = 6 December 2007

| term_end1 = 12 March 2009

| president1 = Michelle Bachelet

| predecessor1 = Ricardo Lagos Weber

| successor1 = Carolina Tohá

| president2 = Ricardo Lagos

| term_start2 = 3 March 2003

| term_end2 = 24 May 2005

| predecessor2 = Heraldo Muñoz

| successor2 = Osvaldo Puccio

| office3 = Minister of the Interior

| president3 = Ricardo Lagos

| term_start3 = 24 May 2005

| term_end3 = 11 March 2006

| predecessor3 = José Miguel Insulza

| successor3 = Andrés Zaldívar

| office4 = Undersecretary of Regional and Administrative Development

| term_start4 = 11 March 2000

| term_end4 = 3 March 2003

| president4 = Ricardo Lagos

| predecessor4 = Marcelo Schilling

| successor4 = Adriana Delpiano

| alma_mater = {{unbulleted list|Bernardo O'Higgins Military Academy{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX9UrCvqGoc|title=¡A los 15 años!😱 Francisco Vidal y su paso por la Escuela Militar - Pero Con Respeto|publisher=Chilevisión|date=30 October 2021|accessdate=24 January 2024}}|University of Chile (Lic)}}

| occupation = Politician

| party = {{unbulleted list|National Party (1971−1973)|Party for Democracy (1987−present)}}

| profession = Teacher of History

| parents = Carlos Vidal Vargas
María Salinas Opazo

| spouse = María Inés Maturana Waidele

| children = Three

| footnotes =

}}

Francisco Javier Vidal Salinas (born 20 September 1953) is a Chilean politician and scholar.

In 1971, he began his political career at the rightist National Party.{{Cite web|url=https://www.latercera.com/reportajes/noticia/francisco-vidal-1973/311718/|title=Francisco Vidal: 'Era parte de la Juventud Nacional golpista'|publisher=La Tercera|date=8 September 2018|accessdate=6 March 2022}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws86XHx-LdE|title=Francisco Vidal y su paso por el Partido Nacional|publisher=Mentiras Verdaderas|work=La Red (YouTube)|date=9 September 2013|accessdate=6 March 2022}}

He was Chile's Minister of National Defense{{cite book|title=Political Risk Yearbook - 2010: Vol. 3 - South America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXVaAAAAYAAJ|date=January 2010|publisher=PRS Group Incorporated, The|isbn=978-1-933539-98-0|page=5}} from March 2009 to March 2010. Before this position he served as Minister Secretary General of Government of Chile during the administrations of Ricardo Lagos and Michelle Bachelet and Interior Minister during Lagos's mandate.

He is a professor of history at the University of Chile.