Pedro Areces Garcia (Pacifica)
Pedro Areces Garcia | |
|---|---|
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| Prime Minister of Cadiz | |
| Assumed office February 27, 2019 | |
| Monarch | Sofía, Manuel IV |
| Deputy | Cristina Alba |
| Preceded by | Alberto Merino (acting) |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office June 5, 2018 – February 27, 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Juan Solbes |
| Preceded by | Ander Simón |
| Succeeded by | Raul Rojas |
| Member of the Senate | |
| In office June 6, 2010 – February 27, 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 Valencia 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 Senate Majority Leader, 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 Jose Luis Escriva 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.
Senate (2010-2019)
l;;Following Garcia's election to the Senate in 2010, he was placed on the Senate Business Committee, Ethics Committee, and Sporting Committee.
First term (2010-2014)
Garcia maintained a rather quiet national profile during his freshman term as a Senator. In 2011, Garcia was criticized for missing seventeen straight roll call chamber votes unexcused, as he failed to lodge a leave-of-absence request with the Chief Administrative Officer. Garcia apologized for the miscommunication and proceeded to introduce seven pieces of legislation the following two months. In 2013, Garcia gained national attention for delivering a scathing chamber speech opposing the nomination of conservative Juan Becerra to the Supreme Court. Garcia was interviewed on cable news stations and became an Associate Floor Leader for the New Democratic Party's caucus in the Senate.
Second term and beginning of Senate leadership (2014-2018)
Areces Garcia was now a "household name" among New Democrats. He was the face of pro-democracy policies and held extremely high approval ratings. In 2015, Areces Garcia delivered the New Democrats' official response to Juan Solbes' State of the Union address. Later in the year, Areces Garcia was named a Co-Chair of Laya Sanchez's 2015 campaign for Prime Minister. In 2016, Areces Garcia was promoted to Deputy Whip for the New Democrats, who at the time had control over the Senate.
Garcia often introduced legislation surrounding voting rights, raising pay, lower costs of everyday items, and abortion. When asked to run for Prime Minister in 2015 on live television, he declined, instead saying that "my time is yet to come." Garcia endorsed former Minister of Education Laya Sanchez and served campaign leadership.
In 2017, Areces Garcia was named Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee. Under his chairmanship, the committee launched an investigation into the Ministry of Justice and its minister for potentially aiding Juan Solbes in a private legal capacity. The investigation found no wrongdoing however it led the way for a decline in approval of Solbes and his policies.
In 2018, Garcia was named Senate Minority Leader, following a loss-in-power. Garcia was a vocal opponent of Solbes during his term in office. Fellow New Democrats showed more support for him, however, that support was starting to evaporate. Solbes was involved in a plethora of oil, gas, and energy scandals in ways to increase his personal financial portfolio. Areces Garcia knew of the scandals though they were not publicized until 2019 before Solbes' resignation. Garcia's decision to not say anything about the scandals was heavily criticized by fellow New Democrats. This led to a decline in his approval rating before he ran for the special election to replace Solbes.
Campaign for Prime Minister (2019; special)
Areces Garcia was rumored to be a major candidate to run for Prime Minister.