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| '''José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero''' (born ], ]) is the fifth ] of ] since the restoration of democracy in ], following his party's victory in the ]. He was sworn in by King ] on ], ]. He has been Secretary General of the ] (PSOE) since ]. | '''José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero''' (born ], ]) is the fifth ] of ] since the restoration of democracy in ], following his party's victory in the ]. He was sworn in as prime minister (or president of the government) by King ] on ], ]. He has been Secretary General of the ] (PSOE) since ]. | ||
| He is usually referred to as '''Zapatero''', his ], which means ] in Spanish. | |||
| During the election campaign the slogan "]" ("Zapatero Presidente") was promoted by PSOE. | |||
| It is now used by some media as a nickname. | |||
| == Early years == | == Early years == | ||
| ⚫ | Zapatero was born in ] but he grew up in ] |
||
| ⚫ | Rodríguez Zapatero was born in ] to Juan Rodríguez Lozano and Purificación Zapatero, but he grew up in ] whence his family originated. He came from an affluent family with a long tradition of left-wing politics. His father was a prominent, successful lawyer and his grandfather, Juan Rodriguez Lozano , was a Freemason and a ] captain executed by the Nationalists during the ]. | ||
| ⚫ | After graduating in ], Zapatero worked as a Law professor in the University of León until ]. According to this source] he was appointed directly without a previous selection process open to other candidates, what aroused suspicions of political favoritism. | ||
| He studied Law at the ]. Previously, he had attended a private school managed by the Catholic Church (something typical among Spanish affluent families even today). | |||
| His performance as a student was above average before his pre-University year. Then it worsened, and his grades in that year and in the University were essentialy mediocre. | |||
| On ], ], Zapatero joined the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (], Spanish Socialists' Workers Party) after attending his first political rally in ], where he heard the ] leader and future ], ]. The impression ] caused upon him played a fundamental role in his decision of joining the party. In 1977, the ] had not yet renounced Marxism as its ideological base (which happened in 1979). | |||
| In ], Zapatero became head of the socialist youth organization in the province of ]. | |||
| ⚫ | After graduating in ], Zapatero worked as a Law professor in the University of ] until ]. According to he was appointed directly without a previous selection process open to other candidates, what aroused suspicions of political favoritism. | ||
| In ], he was elected to represent the province of ] in the ] (Parliament), becoming its youngest Member. In ] he was elected to head the regional chapter of the socialist party in ], and in ] he was appointed to the party's governing body. | In ], he was elected to represent the province of ] in the ] (Parliament), becoming its youngest Member. In ] he was elected to head the regional chapter of the socialist party in ], and in ] he was appointed to the party's governing body. | ||
| == |
== Activities as an opposition leader == | ||
| His period as an opposition leader started in ]. The ] had lost its second successive election to ]'s ] (PP) who obtained a majority. The leader of the ] (PSOE), ] immediately resigned. | |||
| ''Main article: ].'' | |||
| On ], ] Zapatero was elected as leader and Secretary General of the PSOE. . He represented of the New Way (Nueva Vía) faction, defined as modernising, whose ideology is inspired by ]'s Third Way. Zapatero had 3 opponents, beating ] by 414 votes to 405. | |||
| Zapatero was appointed Secretary General of the PSOE in ], after a party congress following his party's defeat in ]. Zapatero was the only candidate for Secretary General (in a field of four) with a seat in the ], which he immediately put to use after his appointment. | |||
| He called his strategy as Tranquil Opposition (Oposición Tranquila), based on a soft, constructive, open to dialogue attitude aimed not at achieving the best for the people. Zapatero's years as an opposition leader (and later as Prime Minister) has been a time of continuous radicalisation of the Spanish political life, a phenomenon also observed by some international media . Zapatero took part several times in public demonstrations where small groups committed acts of vandalism in a limited fashion. | |||
| The style of Zapatero's opposition was characterized by the Spanish terms ''talante'' (demeanor) and ''oposición tranquila'' (calm opposition), intended to highlight a new style of political opposition. By contrast, Aznar's style (and the People's Party's generally) both in the government and early in opposition to ] was dubbed arrogant and authoritarian by the Socialists. | |||
| His criticised the government was based on its inability to control the rise in the price of fossil fuel in ]. He asked for a reduction in the taxes on fuel. At the end of that year, there was an outbreak of ]. Zapatero repeatedly criticised the Government's management of the crisis arguing that it was out of control . Also the British nuclear submarine ''H.M.S. Tireless'' arrived at the Gibraltar harbor to have its nuclear reactor repaired. Aznar's affirmed that there was no risk for the population but Zapatero criticised it for his inability to force the British government to take the submarine to another harbour. After almost one year, the Tireless was repaired and left Gibraltar. . Zapatero was the main proponent of the Pact of the liberties agains terrorism, which was signed on ], ] . | |||
| Despite the deliberately alleged calm presentation, Zapatero's criticism of the government was very active from the very beginning. He criticized mainly the Government management of the ], the presence of the British nuclear submarine ] at the Gibraltar harbor, the reform of the educational system, the reform of unemployment insurance, the Goverment's management of the crisis started after the sinking of the oil tanker ], the scheme to transfer water from the River ] to other areas, the crash in Turkey of a plane returning Spanish troops from Afghanistan and Aznar's stance regarding the European Constitution. | |||
| In ], the Government reformed the University system through a law that changed its organisation. Zapatero opposed these reforms. In ] the Government reformed the system of unemployment benefits. This led to a redefinition of who were eligible for unemployment subsidies, arousing left-wing and trade union opposition. This was his first important clash with Aznar. A General Strike was announced for ], ]. According to official statistics the support was lower than 15%, but an agreement was eventually signed satisfied both parties. | |||
| The main point of friction between Zapatero and ] was the US-led invasion and occupation of ]. Zapatero firmly opposed the ] and after Aznar's decision of sending 1,300 troops to the country. | |||
| In November ] the oil tanker ] suffered an accident in international waters near ] that caused a large oil slick. Zapatero blamed the PP Government's for it and criticised the PP management during and after the accident . | |||
| The Iraq situation motivated an unusually drawn-out pre-electoral campaign. In the lead-up to the general election of 14 March 2004, all opinion polls predicted a third term for the People's Party, albeit without the absolute majority they enjoyed in their second term. | |||
| The scheme to transfer water from the ] to other irrigated areas in the south east of Spain received support from the affected farmers and the autonomous governments of regions ], ] or Castilla-La Mancha. The scheme was opposed by Zapatero, environmentalist groups and the autonomous government of ], arguing that the damage to the environment and a lack of sufficient water, and he cancelled the scheme soon after becoming President. On ], ] a plane carrying Spanish soldiers coming home from ] crashed in ]. Zapatero criticised the PP's decision to preserve the distribution of power of the European Constitution agreed by the Nice treaty (December 2000). The main friction between Aznar and Zapatero was ], Zapatero considering any action against ] regime and the concept of preemptive war to be illegal. His first clash with the United States came on ], ] when he broke protocol by not standing before the American flag at a military parade. He said that his action was a protest against the Iraq war and not an insult to the American people. | |||
| == The 2003 and 2004 Elections == | == The 2003 and 2004 Elections == | ||
| ''Main articles: ] and ].'' | |||
| The Socialist Party received a larger popular vote (what prompted Zapatero to claim his party had been the winner) but the PP obtained gained more councils and autonomous regions. There were few changes in the results frpm ]. The PP did well in the areas affected by the ] disaster. The PP were, though, defeated in the ] of Madrid. Two socialists MPs angry at the distribution of power in the future regional government between the ] (United Left) and the Socialist Party started a crisis that led to the repetition of the Election in Madrid in October 2003 with the subsequent victory of the PP. | |||
| The 2004 General Election was preceded by the ]. In general, there were not too many changes in the results compared to those of the previous Elections held in ], what was seen as a setback for Zapatero by his critics. | |||
| The general election started on ], 2004. The opinion polls were favourable to the PP. There were no televised debates between him and the new PP leader ] after Rajoy demanded a debate with all the potential candidates. | |||
| In ], ] the ] took place. Three days before the ] had killed 191 people. It seems clear today that they affected the final result although it is a matter of controversy how and why. | |||
| On ], ], three monts after the ], the ] obtained a new victory in the elections to the ], in which Zapatero played an important role as the leader of his party. | |||
| Everybody, including the government and Zapatero initially claimed the attacks to be the work of the ] terrorist organization ]. Later, after an audiotape in ] was found in a van near a railway station. Aznar declared that all of the possibilities were being investigated. The government was accused of manipulating the existing information about the real authorship of the attacks to avoid the consequences of public anger at a bombing "caused" by its foreign policy. Zapatero accused the PP of lying about who were those responsible for the attacks. When he was asked in December 2004 about the issue by the Parliamentary Investigative Committee created to find the truth about the attacks he declared that he did not "remember" what he had said. Zapatero won the ] on ], ]. | |||
| Zapatero has lost no election since he started his life as a politician. | |||
| On June 13, 2004 (three months after the General Election) the Election for the ] took place. The Socialist Party won again with 25 seats against 24 for the People's Party (out of 54). Although ] was the official candidate, Zapatero played an important role in that campaign. | |||
| == Appointment by the Congress and inauguration == | |||
| ==President== | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| Zapatero had won the election but lacked the necessary absolute majority needed to ensure his appointment as Prime Minister (176 are needed for that, he counted only with 164 MPs). | |||
| ⚫ | ===Domestic policy=== | ||
| The first law his government passed was against gender violence. At first, Zapatero wanted it to protect only women but according to the General Council of the Judiciary the initial draft was unconstitutional for its sex discrimination. Zapatero has declared that his government will not be soft on terrorism and will not allow regional nationalists to affect Spanish unity, and especially ] whose ''Ibarretxe Plan'' is a reform of the statutes now regulating the functioning of the Basque Autonomous Community. The PP pressured Zapatero to prevent the vote from taking place, but Zapatero, while vowing to oppose the plan, insisted that it be debated and subject to a vote. The Spanish National Parlament rejected the plan. The plan then became a major campaign issue in the ] elections to the Basque Regional Parliament. Zapatero has stated that he will support any reform to the Statute of Autonomy which is supported by 2/3 of the Basque Regional Parliament. | |||
| Another of Zapatero's electoral promises was making housing more accessible. Housing prices have increased largely in the past two or three years in Spain. For that purpose he created the new Ministry of Housing. In October 2004 Zapatero's government undertook the task of morally and legally rehabilitating the victims of the ], instituting a Memory Commission chaired by Vice-president ]. Some accused him of deliberately limiting the commission's mandate to focussing on left-wing victims of right-wing oppression by excluding the incidents in Republican territory, though he argues the Franco regime's glorified right-wing victims and forgetting left-wing victims. In December 2004, Zapatero faced an Investigative Committee interrogation over the March 11 bombings. | |||
| ⚫ | Between the Election Day and the debate prior to his election by the Congress of Deputies (]) a period of consultations and negotiations with different political groups started. In the end, Zapatero obtained the support of ] and ], allowing him to be elected in the first vote cast by the lower house, the Congress of Deputies. | ||
| ⚫ | Zapatero |
||
| The support of Zapatero's allies was intentionally obtained without drafting an official agreement for the rest of his term of office. Because of that, the Socialist Party needs to negotiate with the rest of political forces before any vote takes place in the Parliament. ] leader Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly accused Zapatero's government of being weak due to its lack of permanent support. | |||
| The day after the election, Zapatero had announced his intention to seek support for the investiture (appointment) vote but without a formal coalition. According to his supporters, this was in line with his ''calm demeanor'' strategy and would intend to bring the parliament to the fore, but was criticised by the People's Party as leading to a weak government. | |||
| As a Prime Minister, Zapatero has been the first leader of a Spanish government to have the same number of male and female ministers. He has declared himself to be a feminist. | |||
| == Prime Minister == | |||
| ⚫ | === Domestic policy === | ||
| ''Main article: ]'' | |||
| ⚫ | The first measures related to ] that he announced included his intention to undertake limited reforms to the ] and to legalize same-sex marriage (providing those couples with adoption rights). | ||
| The first important law passed by Zapatero was a controversial law against gender violence. | |||
| In October 2004 Zapatero's government instituted a Memory Commission to rehabilitate ]'s victims. | |||
| In December 2004, Zapatero became the first sitting prime minister to testify before a Congressional Investigative Committee, namely the one created to discover the truth about the March 11 attacks . | |||
| At the beginning of 2005, Zapatero has had to face the so-called ''Ibarretxe Plan'', generally interpreted as an attack on Spanish unity. | |||
| The relation between Zapatero and the Spanish Catholic Church has suffered an important deterioration as a result of some Socialist policies (as the legalization of same-sex marriages). | |||
| === Foreign policy === | === Foreign policy === | ||
| ] | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ''Main article: ]'' | |||
| The last decision was to order back home the 1300 Spanish troops in ]. | |||
| ⚫ | Some months after that withdrawal, the Socialist Government agreed to increase the number of Spanish soldiers in ] and to send troops to ]. | ||
| ⚫ | On June 8 2004 - with the withdrawal already finished, Zapatero's government voted in the UN Security Council in favor of the Resolution 1546 (), that asked all the Member States to send troops to ] in order to fight against terrorism and help reconstruct the country. | ||
| The relations of Spain with the United States are good according to Zapatero although it seems that they have deteriorated because of decisions like that already referred about the Spanish soldiers in Iraq. | |||
| ⚫ | Zapatero has decidedly approached extreme left-wing leaders such as ] or the President of ] ]. Zapatero has played an important role in the improvement of the ] and the European Union. | ||
| ⚫ | On the issue of ], Zapatero initially took a strong line with the United Kingdom, complaining at Gibraltar's celebrations for the tercentenary of its independence from ] but at the end of 2004, Zapatero decided to change his policy and to become the first Spanish prime minister to accept the participation of Gibraltar as a partner in the same level than ] and the United Kingdom in the discussions both countries hold regularly about the colony. | ||
| ⚫ | On |
||
| ⚫ | Regarding the writing of the ], Zapatero accepted the distribution of power proposed by countries such as Germany and France. That new distribution meant a loss of influence for Spanish governments. He called for a '''referendum''' on it, which was held on February 20, 2005. Of a turnout of 41% 75% voted in favor of the European Constitution. | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | == Personal Data == | ||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| ⚫ | Zapatero married on ], ] with the daughter of a military officer (Rafael Espinosa Armendáriz) called ] who studied law and is an opera singer and a music teacher. He is father of two girls, Laura (1993) and Alba (1995). He has been the first Spanish prime minister who has not shown his family to the public media, as there exist no available recent images of his two minor daughters. His wife has never said anything in public (March 2005). | ||
| ⚫ | ==Personal== | ||
| ⚫ | Zapatero married |
||
| He is only fluent in Spanish and has some rough basic knowledge of English. | He is only fluent in Spanish and has some rough basic knowledge of English. | ||
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| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 16:23, 5 May 2005
| José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | |
|---|---|
| File:Rodriguez Zapatero.jpg | |
| Vice President | María Teresa Fernández de la Vega and Pedro Solbes |
| Preceded by | José María Aznar |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | not-american |
| Political party | PSOE |
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born August 4, 1960) is the fifth prime minister of Spain since the restoration of democracy in 1978, following his party's victory in the March 14 Spanish general election. He was sworn in as prime minister (or president of the government) by King Juan Carlos I on April 17, 2004. He has been Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) since 2000.
He is usually referred to as Zapatero, his second surname, which means cobbler in Spanish. During the election campaign the slogan "ZP" ("Zapatero Presidente") was promoted by PSOE. It is now used by some media as a nickname.
Early years
Rodríguez Zapatero was born in Valladolid to Juan Rodríguez Lozano and Purificación Zapatero, but he grew up in León whence his family originated. He came from an affluent family with a long tradition of left-wing politics. His father was a prominent, successful lawyer and his grandfather, Juan Rodriguez Lozano , was a Freemason and a Republican captain executed by the Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War.
He studied Law at the University of León. Previously, he had attended a private school managed by the Catholic Church (something typical among Spanish affluent families even today).
His performance as a student was above average before his pre-University year. Then it worsened, and his grades in that year and in the University were essentialy mediocre.
On February 23, 1979, Zapatero joined the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE, Spanish Socialists' Workers Party) after attending his first political rally in Gijón, where he heard the PSOE leader and future Prime Minister of Spain, Felipe González. The impression Felipe González caused upon him played a fundamental role in his decision of joining the party. In 1977, the PSOE had not yet renounced Marxism as its ideological base (which happened in 1979).
In 1982, Zapatero became head of the socialist youth organization in the province of León.
After graduating in 1983, Zapatero worked as a Law professor in the University of León until 1986. According to this source he was appointed directly without a previous selection process open to other candidates, what aroused suspicions of political favoritism.
In 1986, he was elected to represent the province of León in the Cortes (Parliament), becoming its youngest Member. In 1988 he was elected to head the regional chapter of the socialist party in León, and in 1997 he was appointed to the party's governing body.
Activities as an opposition leader
Main article: Zapatero's years as an opposition leader.
Zapatero was appointed Secretary General of the PSOE in 2000, after a party congress following his party's defeat in that year's general election. Zapatero was the only candidate for Secretary General (in a field of four) with a seat in the parliament, which he immediately put to use after his appointment.
The style of Zapatero's opposition was characterized by the Spanish terms talante (demeanor) and oposición tranquila (calm opposition), intended to highlight a new style of political opposition. By contrast, Aznar's style (and the People's Party's generally) both in the government and early in opposition to Felipe González was dubbed arrogant and authoritarian by the Socialists.
Despite the deliberately alleged calm presentation, Zapatero's criticism of the government was very active from the very beginning. He criticized mainly the Government management of the Mad Cow disease, the presence of the British nuclear submarine HMS Tireless at the Gibraltar harbor, the reform of the educational system, the reform of unemployment insurance, the Goverment's management of the crisis started after the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige, the scheme to transfer water from the River Ebro to other areas, the crash in Turkey of a plane returning Spanish troops from Afghanistan and Aznar's stance regarding the European Constitution.
The main point of friction between Zapatero and Aznar was the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq. Zapatero firmly opposed the 2003 invasion and after Aznar's decision of sending 1,300 troops to the country.
The Iraq situation motivated an unusually drawn-out pre-electoral campaign. In the lead-up to the general election of 14 March 2004, all opinion polls predicted a third term for the People's Party, albeit without the absolute majority they enjoyed in their second term.
The 2003 and 2004 Elections
Main articles: Zapatero and the Local and Regional Elections of 2003 and Zapatero and the 2004 General Election.
The 2004 General Election was preceded by the Local and Regional Elections of May 25, 2003. In general, there were not too many changes in the results compared to those of the previous Elections held in 1999, what was seen as a setback for Zapatero by his critics.
In March 14, 2004 the first General Election for Zapatero took place. Three days before the 11 March 2004 Madrid attacks had killed 191 people. It seems clear today that they affected the final result although it is a matter of controversy how and why.
On June 13, 2004, three monts after the General Election, the PSOE obtained a new victory in the elections to the European Parliament, in which Zapatero played an important role as the leader of his party.
Zapatero has lost no election since he started his life as a politician.
Appointment by the Congress and inauguration
Zapatero had won the election but lacked the necessary absolute majority needed to ensure his appointment as Prime Minister (176 are needed for that, he counted only with 164 MPs).
Between the Election Day and the debate prior to his election by the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) a period of consultations and negotiations with different political groups started. In the end, Zapatero obtained the support of United Left and Republican Left of Catalonia, allowing him to be elected in the first vote cast by the lower house, the Congress of Deputies.
The support of Zapatero's allies was intentionally obtained without drafting an official agreement for the rest of his term of office. Because of that, the Socialist Party needs to negotiate with the rest of political forces before any vote takes place in the Parliament. PP leader Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly accused Zapatero's government of being weak due to its lack of permanent support.
The day after the election, Zapatero had announced his intention to seek support for the investiture (appointment) vote but without a formal coalition. According to his supporters, this was in line with his calm demeanor strategy and would intend to bring the parliament to the fore, but was criticised by the People's Party as leading to a weak government.
As a Prime Minister, Zapatero has been the first leader of a Spanish government to have the same number of male and female ministers. He has declared himself to be a feminist.
Prime Minister
Domestic policy
Main article: Zapatero's domestic policy
The first measures related to Zapatero's domestic policy that he announced included his intention to undertake limited reforms to the Spanish Constitution and to legalize same-sex marriage (providing those couples with adoption rights).
The first important law passed by Zapatero was a controversial law against gender violence.
In October 2004 Zapatero's government instituted a Memory Commission to rehabilitate Franco's victims.
In December 2004, Zapatero became the first sitting prime minister to testify before a Congressional Investigative Committee, namely the one created to discover the truth about the March 11 attacks .
At the beginning of 2005, Zapatero has had to face the so-called Ibarretxe Plan, generally interpreted as an attack on Spanish unity.
The relation between Zapatero and the Spanish Catholic Church has suffered an important deterioration as a result of some Socialist policies (as the legalization of same-sex marriages).
Foreign policy
Main article: Zapatero's foreign policy
The last decision was to order back home the 1300 Spanish troops in Iraq. Some months after that withdrawal, the Socialist Government agreed to increase the number of Spanish soldiers in Afghanistan and to send troops to Haiti.
On June 8 2004 - with the withdrawal already finished, Zapatero's government voted in the UN Security Council in favor of the Resolution 1546 (), that asked all the Member States to send troops to Iraq in order to fight against terrorism and help reconstruct the country.
The relations of Spain with the United States are good according to Zapatero although it seems that they have deteriorated because of decisions like that already referred about the Spanish soldiers in Iraq.
Zapatero has decidedly approached extreme left-wing leaders such as Fidel Castro or the President of Venezuela Hugo Chávez. Zapatero has played an important role in the improvement of the relation between the Cuban Communist regime and the European Union.
On the issue of Gibraltar, Zapatero initially took a strong line with the United Kingdom, complaining at Gibraltar's celebrations for the tercentenary of its independence from Spain but at the end of 2004, Zapatero decided to change his policy and to become the first Spanish prime minister to accept the participation of Gibraltar as a partner in the same level than Spain and the United Kingdom in the discussions both countries hold regularly about the colony.
Regarding the writing of the European Constitution, Zapatero accepted the distribution of power proposed by countries such as Germany and France. That new distribution meant a loss of influence for Spanish governments. He called for a referendum on it, which was held on February 20, 2005. Of a turnout of 41% 75% voted in favor of the European Constitution.
Personal Data
Zapatero married on January 27, 1990 with the daughter of a military officer (Rafael Espinosa Armendáriz) called Sonsoles Espinosa Díaz who studied law and is an opera singer and a music teacher. He is father of two girls, Laura (1993) and Alba (1995). He has been the first Spanish prime minister who has not shown his family to the public media, as there exist no available recent images of his two minor daughters. His wife has never said anything in public (March 2005).
He is only fluent in Spanish and has some rough basic knowledge of English.
His favorite sports are football and basketball. Rodríguez Zapatero is a supporter of the Barcelona football team.
See also
- History of Spain
- Politics of Spain
- Zapatero's years as an opposition leader
- Zapatero and the Local and Regional Elections of 2003
- Zapatero and the 2004 General Election
- Zapatero's domestic policy
- Zapatero's foreign policy
External links
Official
- Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
- Web site of La Moncloa, official residence of the Spanish Prime Minister
Press
- Alternet, 11 April 2005, "Zapatero Steps Up" (first year in office)
- Copy of the editorial of the Wall Street Journal "The Accidental Prime Minister", 25 November 2004
- Interview published by Time Magazine, 19 Sep 2004
Spanish
- Extended biography by CIDOB Foundation (in Spanish)
- Biography in Spanish of Zapatero
- Website highly critical of Rodríguez Zapatero
| Preceded byJosé María Aznar | Prime Minister of Spain 2004—present |
Succeeded byincumbent |