Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría

The Most Excellent
Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría
OCIII
Deputy Prime Minister of Spain
In office
21 December 2011 – 7 June 2018
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by Elena Salgado
Succeeded by Carmen Calvo
Minister for Territorial Administrations
In office
3 November 2016 – 7 June 2018
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by Cristobal Montoro
Public Administrations
Succeeded by Meritxell Batet
Territorial Policy and Public Function
Minister of the Presidency
In office
21 December 2011 – 7 June 2018
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by Ramón Jáuregui
Succeeded by Carmen Calvo
Spokesperson of the Government
In office
21 December 2011 – 3 November 2016
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by José Blanco López
Succeeded by Íñigo Méndez de Vigo
Minister of Health
Acting
In office
26 November 2014 – 3 December 2014
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by Ana Mato
Succeeded by Alfonso Alonso
Minister of Justice
Acting
In office
23 September 2014 – 29 September 2014
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
Succeeded by Rafael Catalá Polo
Spokesperson of the People's Party in the Congress of Deputies
In office
31 March 2008 – 13 December 2011
Leader Mariano Rajoy
Preceded by Eduardo Zaplana
Succeeded by Alfonso Alonso
Member of the Congress of Deputies
for Madrid
In office
14 March 2004 – 10 September 2018
Personal details
Born María Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría Antón
(1971-06-10) 10 June 1971
Valladolid, Spain
Political party People's Party
Spouse(s) Iván Rosa (2006–present)
Children 1
Education University of Valladolid
Signature

María Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría Antón (born 10 June 1971) is a Spanish People's Party politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and Minister of the Presidency from 2011 to 2018, and served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Madrid from 2004 until 2018.

She previously served as executive secretary of Territorial Policy of Partido Popular. In the 9th Legislature she was appointed by prime minister Mariano Rajoy as the Popular Party spokesperson in the Congress of Deputies, replacing Eduardo Zaplana.

Sáenz de Santamaría served in the Rajoy Government as Deputy Prime Minister of Spain and Minister of the Presidency from December 2011 to June 2018 and Minister for Territorial Administrations from November 2016 to June 2018. She served in the Cabinet as Acting Health Minister and Acting Justice Minister in 2014 and as Spokesperson of the Government from 2011 to 2016. After Mariano Rajoy dismissed President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont, Sáenz de Santamaría was given responsibility for overseeing the functions of the Generalitat of Catalonia.[1][2]

Saenz de Santamaría has been called by many media as "the most powerful woman in Spain since democracy".[3][4][5][6][7][8]

After the motion of no confidence on June 5, 2018, Mariano Rajoy resigned to the leadership of the People's Party, Sáenz de Santamaría was presented to the primaries to elect the new president. Soraya Saénz de Santamaría won the primaries with a narrow margin of 1,500 votes to go to the second round with Pablo Casado. On July 21, 2018, the second round was held between Casado and Sáenz de Santamaría to elect the new leader of the People's Party, which she lost to Pablo Casado.[9] Following her electoral defeat, she announced in September 2018 that she was leaving politics after 18 years.[10][11]

Education and early career

Born in Valladolid in 1971, Sáenz de Santamaría grew up as the only child of Pedro Sáenz de Santamaría and Petra Antón.[12]

She studied law at university and she got a Licentiate Degree in Law with Honors in University of Valladolid in 1994, achieving rank 1 in her promotion, awarded top honors. After more study and after "competitive public examination" (Spanish oposiciones), she became an abogado de estado (an elite jurist).

In 2000, Mariano Rajoy’s former chief of staff hired her to work as advisor to the cabinet of the First Vice-President of the Government in the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Home Affairs.[13]

Career

In the 8th legislature of Spain (2004-2008) Sáenz de Santamaría was the executive secretary of the People's Party's domestic policy, and a deputy for Madrid. In the 9th legislature she was appointed by Mariano Rajoy as spokesperson for the People's Group in the Congress of Deputies, replacing Eduardo Zaplana. Sáenz de Santamaría became the Deputy Prime Minister and spokesperson for the government on 22 December 2011.[14] On 27 October 2017, Rajoy appointed her as Acting Minister for Catalonia Affairs and Acting Coordinator of the Generalitat of Catalonia amid the 2017 Spanish constitutional crisis.

Personal life

Sáenz de Santamaría is married and has a son, who was born on 11 November 2011.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría - Madrid's enforcer for Catalonia". BBC News. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  2. ↑ Mansfield, Katie (28 October 2017). "Spain takes charge of Catalonia- Deputy PM handed CONTROL of region amid fears of violence". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  3. ↑ "Spain's new deputy prime minister 'most powerful woman since democracy'". telegraph.co.uk. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 23 Dec 2011.
  4. ↑ "5 of Europe's most powerful women". USA Today. March 9, 2015. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  5. ↑ "'Most powerful woman since democracy' put in charge of Catalonia in defiance of independence". Business Insider. 28 October 2016. Retrieved 28 October 2016.
  6. ↑ "Are these Spain's ten most powerful women?". The Local. 8 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
  7. ↑ "Soraya Saenz de Santamaria: The Most Powerful Woman in Spain". IB Times. 23 December 2011. Retrieved 23 December 2011.
  8. ↑ "Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría - Madrid's enforcer for Catalonia". BBC. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  9. ↑ "Resultados definitivos primarias PP" (PDF). La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 5 July 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  10. ↑ Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría comunica a Pablo Casado que deja la política para "emprender otra etapa" (in Spanish)
  11. ↑ Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría deja la política (in Spanish)
  12. ↑ "'Volver a Valladolid es volver a la vida de verdad'" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 25 April 2011.
  13. ↑ David Román (January 28, 2016), No problem has been too large or lethal for Rajoy’s deputy Financial Times.
  14. ↑ Giles, Ciaran (21 December 2011). "Spain's new prime minister sworn in, names Cabinet". Deseret News. AP. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
  15. ↑ Govan, Fiona (25 November 2011). "Spanish MP with key role back to work 11 days after giving birth". The Telegraph. Madrid. Retrieved 5 June 2013.
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