Today's Prime Minister of Spain, Mariano Rajoy, whose life story is an example of a purposeful movement towards a goal, faced many problems at his post, and his activities have repeatedly been subjected to harsh criticism. However, he has done a lot and continues to do for his country. Let's talk about the main milestones of his life and professional path.
Childhood and origin
Mariano Raja Bray was born on March 27, 1955 in the capital of the Spanish district of Galicia Santiago de Compostela. He comes from a famous family. His grandfather Enrique Rajoy Lelup was a well-known lawyer, a professor at the university. He worked with a group of like-minded people on the Charter of the Autonomy of Galicia. This law was adopted only in the late 70s, and Mariano's grandfather had to pay for his work in creating this document. During the years of the dictatorship, he was suspended from teaching. Mariano Rajoy’s father, Mariano Rajoy Sobredo, was also a lawyer, he worked as the chairman of the court in his hometown of Pontevedra, where the future Prime Minister spent his childhood. Later, his father was transferred to Leon. The family of Rakhoy grew three more children. When Mariano was small, his father met and became close friends with Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, father of the future Secretary General of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party, the main political opponent of the current Prime Minister. The fathers of future major political figures of the country maintained companionship until the end of their days.
Education
Secondary education Mariano Rajoy received at a Jesuit school in the city of Vigo, where he studied for 10 years. After school, according to family tradition, he enters the Faculty of Law of the University of Santiago de Comostelo. Already in his last year at the University of Mariano, he successfully passes competitive exams for the position of registrar of property.
The beginning of a professional path
Mariano Rajoy, whose biography was originally associated with jurisprudence, began his career as a registrar of property of the Galicia district. He became the youngest employee in the history of the department to take such a position - he was only 24 years old.
First steps in politics
In 1981, Rajoy Mariano joined the right-wing party "People's Alliance" and a year later became a deputy of the first convocation of the Parliament of Autonomous Galicia. An active young man quickly moves up the hierarchy in the party, in 1982 he becomes the General Director of Relations of the Autonomous Government of Galicia and the Secretary of the Committee for Interaction between the central authorities and the leadership of the Galicia District. In 1983, Mariano Rajoy was elected a member of the Legislative Council of the city of Pontevedra. In 1986, he became a deputy in the Lower House of the Spanish Parliament - the Congress of Deputies - from the province of Pontevedra. But at the same time, the government of José Luis Barreiro resigns in Galicia, and Rajoy becomes vice-chairman of the government of Galicia. For several years, Mariano Rajoy has been actively involved in the work of the district government and has been waging a political struggle in his party.
Big politics
In 1996, early parliamentary elections were held in Spain, and the party, of which Raja Mariano was a member, received the majority of votes and the right to form a government. The party was obliged by such results including the good work of Rakhoy. The new Prime Minister of the country was his long-time associate, Jose Maria Aznar. And Mariano for the third time received the mandate of the Congress of Deputies from the province of Pontevedra. Aznar did not forget the merits of Rakhoy and appointed him Minister of Public Administration, which he established by special decree. Thus began the path of Mariano Rajoy to the heights of power. At each of his posts, he showed himself to be an initiative, responsible and active employee, and this, apparently, was the secret of his success.
Ministerial portfolio
Very quickly, Mariano Rajoy changes his insignificant portfolio of the Minister of Public Administration to a more significant one. In 1999, he became Minister of Education, Culture and Sports, succeeding Esperance Aguirre. She left after a sharp criticism of her activities, and Rahoy tried to take into account her mistakes. He put a lot of effort into improving the work of museums, and also made serious adjustments to the education system by introducing rules for obtaining education through the Internet. In 2000, elections are held in Spain, and Mariano Rajoy leads the campaign headquarters of the People’s Party. As a result of the popular vote, the party is gaining a record majority. Aznar again became prime minister and appointed Rahoy as deputy prime minister, and also made him minister of his administration. In 2001, there was a violation of a two-year truce with the left Basque party, which won the right to autonomy of its land. This event led to the resignation of the Minister of the Interior, Jaime Major Orehu, who participated in the election of the Basque country president, and Mariano Rajoy moved into his chair. In this position, he focused on strengthening the fight against the Basque Country and Liberty terrorist organization, he devoted much effort to strengthening and expanding Spain’s interaction with France, and also dealt with the issues of statelessness in the country, alcohol consumption in public places and the prevention of alcoholism. In July 2002, a major reshuffle again took place in the cabinet, and Rahoy became the official representative of the prime minister and again sat in the chair of the prime minister’s administration. In 2003, he resigned from all posts and focused on party work.
Party people
Back in 1981, Mariano Rajoy became a member of the left-wing People’s Alliance, which later became known as the People’s Party. It was this political force that gave him the opportunity to begin his path in politics, nominating him as a member of the Congress of Deputies. In 1988, he became the secretary general of the regional branch of the party in his native Galicia. In 1989, changes took place in the party: in addition to receiving a new name, the movement is headed by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, one of the founders of the bloc. He appointed Rahoy chairman of the party’s national executive committee and represented the province of Ponteverda at the highest party levels. In 1989, Fraga, in effect, transferred control to Aznar, who left Mariano a member of the executive committee and appointed him his first deputy. In addition, he again became a representative in the Congress of Deputies on the party lists of his movement. In 1993, the People's Party became the main opposition force in the country. And in 1996, she won the election and for 8 years became the ruling force in Spain.
In 2004, the People’s Party lost the election to its main rival, the socialist party Zapatero, but retained a fairly large number of seats in parliament and the Senate.
Opposition activity
After the defeat in the elections, the People’s Party changes its leader - it becomes Mariano Raja. For 7 years he becomes the main opposition of Spain. He actively criticized the ruling party, as well as many of the actions of his predecessor. He blamed the terrible acts of terrorism in the country on the government of Aznar. During his struggle, he repeatedly expressed controversial ideas, for example, refused to believe that it was necessary to deal with the prevention of the effects of climate change. Journalists accused him of receiving too high a salary, which was even higher than that of the prime minister. In 2008, Rakhoi again lost the election, and many journalists and members of the same party began to doubt the appropriateness of continuing his political activities. The People’s Party nominated Soraya Saens de Santamaria to the Congress of Deputies. But Mariano did not give up, he actively led a public discussion with the socialists, spoke out on many socially significant issues, conducted active propaganda work, and in 2011 he finally managed to achieve his goal.
Prime Minister
In 2011, early elections took place, in which the People's Party was again represented by Rakhoy. The campaign was very sharp and vibrant, and on November 20 the news spread around the world: "Mariano Rajoy - Prime Minister of Spain." He still got the desired post. He appointed Soraya Saens de Santamaria as his Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Administration. He had to face a lot of problems: the financial crisis, migrants, corruption scandals … All this led to the fact that the popularity of the "People's Party" is rapidly declining. In 2015, the next election, in fact, failed, and Spain plunged into a deep government crisis. The parties that received the majority of votes could not agree on persons in the government, and for some time Rakhoy is the technical prime minister. And only in 2016 he managed to form a “minority government” - for the first time in Spain.
Disappointing results
During his political career, Rakhoi has repeatedly made annoying mistakes. So, they could not forgive him for the obvious opposition of the Catalan referendum. Many opponents accused him of money-grubbing and corruption. In 2013, journalists found documents revealing “black schemes” for receiving illegal donations and income by the People’s Party and its leaders. In 2013, a lawsuit was filed against Rakhoy and 62 deputies for misuse of budget funds. All this happened against the background of the Prime Minister’s active calls for the need to save and raise taxes. In 2016, something unprecedented happened! Mariano Rajoy is Spain’s premier who was recognized as persona non grata in his hometown of Pontevedra. This decision was made by local authorities after the Prime Minister renewed the license of the local pulp mill, which damages the environment, for 60 years.
Life credo and public position
The Prime Minister of Spain has repeatedly allowed himself controversial and even scandalous statements. His performances are always vivid, and often Mariano Rajoy’s speech without translation can even be understood - he is so emotional and artistic. He repeatedly voiced his life principles, his favorite phrases: “time will put everything in its place”, “revenge is a dish that needs to be served cold” and “stubborn success is achieved”. Indeed, his life principle is calm and confidence in his innocence. He never changed these rules. But it’s difficult to talk about his stable social position, since at different periods of his life he declared different values and goals, and in such flexibility, apparently, lies the secret of his political long life.
