Pedro Solbes Mira (b. 31 August 1942 in
PinosoPinoso, Spain is a traditional town which sits about 40 minutes' drive inland from Alicante airport. It used to be an agricultural town, being wine the main product of the area...
,
AlicanteAlicante in Spanish or Alacant is a province of eastern Spain, in the southern part of the Valencian Community. It is bordered by the provinces of Murcia on the southwest, Albacete on the west, Valencia on the north, and the Mediterranean Sea on the east...
) is a
SpanishSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
economist. While independent in the sense of not affiliated to any party, his various ministerial roles in Spain have always been within
Socialist Workers' PartyThe Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , is the ruling party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. It identifies itself as a centre-left, social-democratic, democratic socialist and progressivist party....
cabinets. His most recent ministerial positions were
Second Vice President- List of Second Vice Presidents of Spain :*1st Legislature **: Enrique Fuentes Quintana** : Fernando Abril Martorell*2nd Legislature **: Fernando Abril Martorell...
and Minister of Economy and Finance in the government of
José Luis Rodríguez ZapateroJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero , better known by his maternal surname Zapatero or ZP, is the current President of the Government of Spain...
which he held from 2004 to 2009.
He had previously been Agriculture and Fisheries minister (1991-1993) and
Finance ministerThe finance minister is a cabinet position in a government.A minister of finance has many different jobs in a government. He or she helps form the government budget, stimulate the economy, and control finances...
(1993-1996) in
Felipe GonzalezFelipe González Márquez is a Spanish socialist politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996...
's led cabinets, also MP
representing AlicanteAlicante is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. It was first contested in modern times in the 1977 General Election. It is the fifth largest district in terms of electorate after Madrid,...
for the same party until 1999.
Appointed by then Spanish premier
José María Aznarserved as the Prime Minister of Spain from 1996 to 2004. He is currently on the board of directors of News Corporation.-Early life:...
(of the main competing party
Partido PopularThe People's Party is the main Right-wing political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation of the Popular Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship and a politician known to have relatively...
) he was a
European commissionerA European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Commissioner within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent of national ministers....
for Monetary affairs in the
European CommissionThe European Commission acts as an executive of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union.The Commission operates in the method of cabinet government, with 27...
presided by
Romano Prodiis an Italian politician and statesman. He served as President of the Council of Ministers of Italy twice, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008. He was also President of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004.Prodi ran in 1996 as Olive Tree candidate, winning...
(the
Prodi CommissionThe Prodi Commission was the European Commission in office between 1999 and 2004. The administration was led by then-former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi.-History:...
).
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