Mariano Rajoy
Mariano Rajoy Brey during a speech (December 2005) Image File history File links Size of this preview: 706 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1000 × 849 pixel, file size: 223 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Leader of the Opposition in Congress
Incumbent
Assumed office  March 2004
Vice President of the Spanish Government
In office April 2000 – August 2003
Born	March 27 de 1955 Santiago de Compostela
Political party	Partido Popular
Spouse	Elvira Fernández
Children	2
Residence	Madrid  Spain
Religion	Catholic
Website	PP website

Mariano Rajoy Brey (IPA: [ma'ɾjano ra'xoj]) (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Popular Party, (PP). Rajoy led his party at the Spanish general election on March 14, 2004, which was won by the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in Spanish Congress of Deputies. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... For the ecclesiastical office, see Incumbent (ecclesiastical). ... March is the third month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Vice President of the Government of Spain, Vicepresidente del Gobierno in Spanish, is the second in command to the Prime Minister of Spain, filling in for him when he is absent or incapable of exercising his power. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... Location Location of Santiago de Compostela Coordinates : Time Zone : General information Native name Santiago de Compostela (Galician) Spanish name Santiago de Compostela Postal code 15700 Website http://www. ... From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... IPA may refer to: The International Phonetic Alphabet or India Pale Ale ... is the 86th day of the year (87th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1955 (MCMLV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar). ... From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ... Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Biography

Rajoy was born in Santiago de Compostela, in Galicia in north-western Spain, a traditionally conservative region. He holds a degree in law from the University of Santiago de Compostela and at the age of 24 he became the youngest property register of Spain (one of the most difficult positions in the Spanish administration to reach). Location Location of Santiago de Compostela Coordinates : Time Zone : General information Native name Santiago de Compostela (Galician) Spanish name Santiago de Compostela Postal code 15700 Website http://www. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The University of Santiago de Compostela (Galician: Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Spanish: Universidad de Santiago de Compostela) is a public university located in the city of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain. ...

Early political career

He started his political career in Galicia in 1981, as a member of the right-wing Alianza Popular ("People's Alliance", AP) becoming a deputy in the Galician autonomous Parliament in this year. In 1982 he was designated Minister of Institutional Relations of the Xunta de Galicia Year 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays the 1981 Gregorian calendar). ... The Popular Alliance of Chile is Chiles main right wing alliance political party. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... The Xunta de Galicia is the political bureaucracy for the autonomous region of Galicia. ...

In June 11 of 1986 was elected President of the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra, carrying out this position until July of 1991 Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... Pontevedra is a city in northwestern Spain, the capital of the province of Pontevedra in Galicia. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ...

In the general elections of the 22 of June of 1986, he obtained a seat in the Congress of the Deputies as the head of the party's list for Pontevedra, although he resigned in November as vice-president of the Xunta of Galicia after the resignation of Xosé Luis Barreiro and the rest of the ministers, a position that would occupy until end of September of 1987. Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ...

When in 1989 AP re-branded itself as the Partido Popular, being its president Manuel Fraga Iribarne; Rajoy is named member of the National Executive Committee of the People's Party and delegated by Pontevedra, being reelected in 1993. Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ... Manuel Fraga Iribarne (born November 23, 1922 at Vilalba, Galicia) is a Spanish politician. ...

Before the PP's triumph in the 1996 elections, he was designed part of the "Commission of Parliamentary Control of RTVE". Radiotelevisión Española (RTVE) is the public Spanish broadcasting corporation. ...

Minister of Spain (1996-2004)

Mariano Rajoy in 2002 as Minister of the Interior

A long-time collaborator with José María Aznar, he moved into national politics when Aznar became Prime Minister in 1996 with the supports of PNV, CiU and Canary Coalition, serving as Minister of Public administration and Minister of Education and Culture with the first Aznar administration. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ...

He managed the successful People's Party campaign in the 2000 elections. A thankful Aznar named him as Vice President of Spanish Government and the same year he married a fellow Galician Elvira Fernandez Balboa. Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 12, 2000. ...

In February 2001 he was named Minister of the Interior, after Jaime Mayor Oreja decided to run a head of the People's Party in the 2001 Basque Elections. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Jaime María Mayor Oreja. ...

On 30 August 2003 Aznar announced that he would retire from politics in 2004 elections and proposed Rajoy as his successor . After the XIV Congress of People's Party he became the Party's new Chairman. is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Candidacy and Leader of the opposition (2004 to present)

Three days before the 2004 general elections there took place the terrorist attacks in Madrid on March 11, which were initially blamed on the ETA terrorist organisation and later onAl-Qaida. Aznar's government and Party leaders insisted on accusing ETA of the attacks, and on March 13, Rajoy claimed to be convinced of their responsibility for these crimes. [1]. They were accused of attempting to blame ETA for the attacks in order to stay on track to win the elections (as they were heavily favored to), but then news broke that it was Al-Qaida, rather than ETA. The trial for the bombings started on February 15 of 2007 Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. ... The scene of one of the Madrid bombings. ... Motto: (Spanish for From Madrid to Heaven) Location Coordinates: , Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jimémez (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see ETA (disambiguation). ... Al-Qaeda (Arabic: القاعدة, the foundation or the base) is the name given to a worldwide network of militant Islamist organizations under the leadership of Osama bin Laden. ... is the 72nd day of the year (73rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

On March 14 2004the PSOE under the leadership of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero won the elections with a majority of 1.300.000 votes over the PP, and obtained 164 deputies; on the other hand, the PP obtained 9.763.144 votes (a very similar figure to the 1996 total) but 148 deputies, 35 less than obtained in 2000. is the 73rd day of the year (74th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (born August 4, 1960) is the Prime Minister of Spain. ...

Mariano Rajoy at the moment occupies the Presidency of the Popular Party, first opposition party.

On December 1, 2005 he survived a helicopter accident, along with Madrid Regional Government President Esperanza Aguirre, in which he broke a finger.[2] is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma (March 3, 1952, Madrid), Spanish politician, is the President of the autonomous community of Madrid since 2003. ...

Criticisms to Zapatero's Administration

His critics to the present government have been focused on what he perceives as:

• the derogation of ambitious plans of the previous executive
  • Plan Hidrológico Nacional Law for sharing the water resources
  • LOCE or Law for the Education Improvement
• The "unnecessary" statutory reforms, such as submitted in the Catalan, Andalusian and Galician referendums, supported by percentages as low as 30% of the population of those regions. According to Rajoy, some of those reforms constitute concealed changes of the autonomous communities towards a confederation, endangering the integrity of the State. He has said that if Zapatero wants to apply his view of Spain, should better propose a reform of the Spanish Constitution, a reform that would need the approval in referendum of the Spaniards.
• The weakness facing the process of peace opened as a result of the permanent cease-fire declared by terrorist organization ETA in 2006, broken by Barajas bombing and Pistols robbery.
• Foreign policy
  • the cold relations with United States and Poland
  • the alliances with the Venezuela of Hugo Chávez, the Cuba of Castro and the Bolivia of Evo Morales
  • Immigratory policy