Francisco Igea
Francisco Igea Arisqueta (born 17 April 1964) is a Spanish politician of the Citizens party between 2016 and 2023. A doctor by profession, he led the party in the 2019 Castilian-Leonese regional election, and became vice president of the Junta of Castile and León after forming a government with the People's Party leader Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. In the 2022 election, his party lost all their seats except his own. He was previously a member of the Congress of Deputies (2015–2019) and came runner-up in his party's 2020 leadership election.
Biography
Born in Valladolid, Igea graduated in Medicine from the University of Valladolid. A specialist in the digestive system, he worked at a hospital in Palencia as head of department until 2013, when he volunteered for redundancy due to cuts.[1]
Igea contested the primaries to lead Union, Progress and Democracy in the 2015 Castilian-Leonese regional election, losing to Rafael Delgado. He then left the party, for Citizens.[1] He was elected to the Congress of Deputies in the Valladolid constituency in December 2015.[2] The following June, he was the only member of his party in Castile and León to win re-election.[3] In January 2017, he entered his party's central committee, responsible for health.[1]
In February 2019, Igea announced that he would challenge Silvia Clemente in the party primaries to lead in May's regional elections.[4] In March, on a recount, he defeated the former People's Party regional leader.[5] His party became the third largest in the Cortes of Castile and León behind the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the PP.[6] In July, his party formed a government with the PP, and he became regional vice president.[7]
In December 2019, a judge closed a case against Igea initiated by a party member who had accused him of threats in March.[8]
Igea announced his candidacy in February 2020 for Citizens' leadership election, standing against Inés Arrimadas.[9] She won by 76.9% to 22.3%.[10]
At the end of 2021, Mañueco called an early election with the aim of governing alone, as his counterpart Isabel Díaz Ayuso had achieved in the Community of Madrid.[11] Igea was named Citizens' lead candidate by the party's national leadership without the need of a primary, citing new rules in the party for when there is an unexpectedly short electoral campaign.[12] The election ended up with Citizens losing all their seats except Igea's while Vox made gains; he offered to align with the PP to top Vox governing.[13]
References
- ^ a b c Gamarra, Lorena (10 March 2019). "Quién es Francisco Igea, el rival de Silvia Clemente que impugnó su elección" [Who is Francisco Igea, Silvia Clemente's rival who challenges her election]. El Independiente (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "La 'vuelta al cole' de los 32 diputados" [The 'first day back at school' for the 32 deputies]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). 11 January 2016. Retrieved 27 March 2021.
- ^ "Igea, único diputado de C's en CyL, promete "sudar" tanto para un nuevo gobierno como para que cambien las cosas" [Igea, only C's deputy in C&L, promises to "sweat" greatly for a new government so that things can change]. La Información (in Spanish). 27 June 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Sanz, Luis Ángel (26 February 2019). "Albert Rivera rompe Ciudadanos en Castilla y León al imponer a una dirigente del PP" [Albert Rivera fractures Citizens in Castile and León by bringing in a PP leader]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Igea le gana las primarias de Ciudadanos a Clemente tras la revisión de los votos" [Igea defeats Clemente in the Citizens primaries after a recount]. ABC (in Spanish). 11 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Resultados Elecciones Autonómicas en Castilla y León" [Autonomous Election Results in Castile and León]. El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Fernández Mañueco e Igea se rodean de seis hombres y tres mujeres en su gobierno conjunto para Castilla y León" [Fernández Mañueco and Igea are flanked by six men and three women in their coalition government for Castile and León] (in Spanish). CyLTV. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Absuelto Igea (Cs) de un delito de amenazas contra un militante de su partido" [Igea (Cs) acquitted of threats against a member of his party]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Esteban, Paloma (25 February 2020). "Igea presenta su candidatura contra Arrimadas y pide un debate este jueves" [Igea presents his candidacy against Arrimadas and requests a debate this Thursday]. El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ Sanz, Luis Ángel (8 March 2020). "Inés Arrimadas barre a Francisco Igea con el 77% de los votos en las primarias de Ciudadanos" [Inés Arrimadas sweeps away Francisco Igea with 77% of the votes in the Citizens leadership election]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 March 2021.
- ^ "Pablo Casado muestra su apoyo a Mañueco para liderar una victoria "en solitario"" [Pablo Casado shows his support to Mañueco to lead a victory "by ourselves"]. La Opinión de Zamora (in Spanish). Europa Press. 30 December 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ Carvajal, Álvaro (27 December 2021). "Ciudadanos nombra a Francisco Igea candidato en Castilla y León sin primarias y apelando a la "unidad"" [Citizens name Francisco Igea candidate in Castile and León without primaries and calling for "unity"]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2022.
- ^ "Igea lamenta la "catástrofe" de Cs y se ofrece al PP para evitar la entrada de Vox en el Gobierno de CyL" [Igea laments Cs' "catastrophe" and offers himself to the PP to avoid Vox entering the Government of Castile and León] (in Spanish). Europa Press. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- 1964 births
- Living people
- People from Valladolid
- University of Valladolid alumni
- 20th-century Spanish physicians
- 21st-century Spanish physicians
- Union, Progress and Democracy politicians
- Citizens (Spanish political party) politicians
- Members of the 11th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
- Members of the 12th Congress of Deputies (Spain)
- Members of the 10th Cortes of Castile and León
- Members of the 11th Cortes of Castile and León
- Government ministers of Castile and León