Pedro Areces Garcia (Pacifica)

Pedro Areces Garcia
Prime Minister of Cadiz
Incumbent
Assumed office June 3, 2019
Monarch	Sofía, Manuel IV
Deputy	Cristina Alba
Preceded by	Raul Rojas (acting)
Leader of the Opposition
In office June 5, 2018 – June 2, 2019
Prime Minister	Eduardo Gómez
Preceded by	Ander Simón
Succeeded by	Raul Rojas
Member of the Senate
In office June 6, 2010 – June 3, 2019
Constituency	Valencia
Personal details
Born	Pedro Areces Garcia Valencia, Cadiz
Political party	New Democratic Party
Spouse(s)	Luisa Aviles
Children	Gabriela (age 16), Valeria (age 13)
Residence	Palace of Bórbon

Pedro Areces Garcia Soraya is a Cadisian politician who currently serves as the Prime Minister of Cadiz, a position he has held since 2019 after a special election was called due to the resignation of Juan Solbes. Areces Garcia has also served as a member of the Senate of Cadiz from Vakencia where from 2018 to June 2019 he served as the Leader of the Opposition.

Areces Garcia began his political career working as a senatorial aide for Margarita Lopez, a Senator from Santiago, specifically Cuelca. He became the campaign manager of Lopez's 2000 campaign for Secretary-General of the New Democratic Party. Following her win, Areces Garcia became one of her most trusted advisors and was hired by the party as a campaign strategist, helping elect members of the New Democratic Party to the bicameral legislature.

In 2010, Areces Garcia was elected to the Senate of Cadiz representing Valencia. Areces Garcia was elected as the Leader of the Opposition in 2018, however he did not hold the Secretary-General of the New Democratic Party position. Areces Garcia led the party to a stellar 2019 general election, where he was eventually elected Prime Minister. Additionally, the party garnered control of both the Senate, General Court, and many regional parliaments of autonomous communities.

In December of 2018, right before a motion of no confidence vote was scheduled to take place, incumbent Prime Minister Juan Solbes resigned, along with the members of the Council of Ministers, leaving the President of the Senate, Partido Popular's Raul Rojas as the acting Prime Minister. Rojas scheduled a special election in April of the following year for Cadiz to elect their newest head of state. Areces Garcia won the New Democratic primary, while Rojas won the Popular Party primary. Areces Garcia won the special election and was elected shortly thereafter, only to face the general election yet again, which was only four days after he was sworn in.

Areces Garcia, a political moderate, has signed major public transportation packages into law, creating commuter and ride rail systems to connect Cadiz nationally. This has brought him much public approval, however the country still faced problems regarding trade operations and maintenance of ports. Poor quality and maintenance of the Port of Huelva led to its shutdown in 2023, which sparked major controversies.

Early life and education

Pedro Areces Garcia Soraya was born into a middle-class family in the Centro neighborhood of Valencia, known for its stunning architecture and political history. His father, Jordan, was a hotel manager turned history instructor at a local private high school. His mother, Sara, was a sous chef at a local restaurant.

Areces Garcia had two sisters, Juliana and Vicky, both of whom are older than him. He grew up playing football with his sisters and Areces Garcia himself eventually became a youth player for Atlético Valencia, playing on the pitch as a right-winger or striker.

Early career

Areces Garcia, after graduating the University of Valencia with a degree in business administration, joined the management side of La Liga club Atlético Valencia as a regional youth associate for the Valencia autonomous community. Areces Garcia worked to harvest new talent and develop youth prospects for the club. He eventually became the Assistant Director of Youth Talent for the whole club in 1996, before one year later joining FirstDegree Strategy, a consulting group focusing on politics, marketing, advertisement, and sports.

In 1998, Areces Garcia joined the office of New Democratic Senator Margarita Lopez as an advisor. He was eventually appointed as her campaign manager for Secretary-General of the party in 2000. Following her win, Areces Garcia became her Chief of Staff and later a lead strategist for the New Democratic Party.

In 2007, Areces Garcia left the party and worked in local politics, serving as a neighborhood commissioner for Vista Alegre, the Valencia neighborhood where he lived, from 2007 to 2010, after being elected to the Senate.

In 2009, Margarita Lopez encouraged him to run for Senate where he won both the party primary and general election.