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Carmen Chacón: Spanish Defence Minister
By m.p. - Apr 13, 2008 - 9:39 AM
ALSO SEE : • Defence Minister ends her visit to the troops in Lebanon and Bosnia - Apr 29, 2008 - 1:00 PM
• Spanish Defence Minister visits troops in the Lebanon - Apr 28, 2008 - 7:37 AM

The new housing minister, Carmen Chacón - Photo EFE
The new housing minister, Carmen Chacón - Photo EFE
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Carmen, or Carme, Chacón Piqueras was born in Esplugues de Llobregat, Barcelona province, on 13th March 1971. She becomes the first woman to head the Ministry of Defence in Spain.
Carmen Chacón received her degree in law from Barcelona University in 1994 and is a professor of constitutional law at Girona University.

Her fourth year studies in law were taken at Victoria University in Manchester, with her Doctorate course at the Barcelona Autonomous University. She graduated with cum laude honours for her thesis on ‘Federalism and the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.’

Further Post-Graduate studies took place at four Canadian universities: at the Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, the University of Kingston, the Laval University in Quebec, and at Montreal University.

She became a member of the Cataluña Young Socialists in 1989, and five years later, in 1994, joined the PSC Catalan Socialist Party.

Carmen Chacón’s career in politics began when she was elected as a Town Hall councillor in her home town in 1999, where she was First Deputy Mayor with responsibility for economic and human resources and public safety.

The year 2000 saw her elected as a Socialist MP for Barcelona, and her election as a member of the PSC executive.

In September 2003, she was named spokesperson for the PSOE party ahead of the following year’s general election, holding onto her seat for Barcelona in the national poll held on 14th March 2004.

With the Socialist Party now in central government, Carmen Chacón was named as First Vice-President of Congress. She has been PSOE’s secretary for culture since July 2004, was an international observer for the OSCE (the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe) in Bosnia-Herzegovina (1996) and in Albania (1997).

She got married to a previous assessor to José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Miguel Barroso in 2007, after a three year long relationship.

Carmen Chacón Piqueras was named as Spain’s New Housing Minister on 6th July 2007, but moved to become the first woman to head the Ministry of Defence at the start of the second Zapatero legislature in April 2008.


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ALSO SEE :
• Defence Minister ends her visit to the troops in Lebanon and Bosnia - Apr 29, 2008 - 1:00 PM
• Spanish Defence Minister visits troops in the Lebanon - Apr 28, 2008 - 7:37 AM
• Spanish Defence Minister upsets the troops with Internet controls - Apr 25, 2008 - 7:47 AM
• Spanish Defence Minister returns from flying visit to the troops in Afghanistan - Apr 20, 2008 - 9:18 AM
• Spanish pregnant Defence Minister heads for Afghanistan - Apr 19, 2008 - 8:59 AM
• José Bono defends the appointment of Carme Chacón as Minsiter for Defence - Apr 17, 2008 - 2:15 PM
• King Juan Carlos opens the ninth legislature of the Spanish parliament - Apr 16, 2008 - 5:26 PM
• Spanish right wing media harshly attack the women in the Zapatero cabinet - Apr 15, 2008 - 8:00 PM
• Bibiana Aído Almagro – new Spanish Minister for Equality - Apr 14, 2008 - 6:10 PM
• The pregnant Minister inspects her troops - Apr 14, 2008 - 4:05 PM
• The new Spanish cabinet makes its promises before the King - Apr 14, 2008 - 1:40 PM

Comments

hugh
03 Sep 2007, 08:36
Ok, ok, enough- does she date?
reorem
07 Mar 2008, 12:24
This resume is false. She is not professor! She doesn't have PhD. Several journalist found few weird things in her resume. These politicians are amazing. But resume is not so important. The problem is what they say or do. What about all promises she made? and her opinion about economical situation? and more and more...
Er_Guiri
14 Apr 2008, 13:00
Now i feel REALLY safe (not)
Louisa
15 Apr 2008, 23:56
Does she or doesn´t she have a doctorate? I was under the impression she does have one.

What ´few wierd things´ does she have in her CV? The comment by Reorem is vague to say the least, and calls into question the Editor of Typically Spanish´ team at presenting facts.

Clarify and defend please TS.

editor
16 Apr 2008, 07:06
We'll put someone on it Louisa
editor
16 Apr 2008, 08:55
We have checked several different Spanish sources and all indicate that this article is correct. EFE news agency reports her studies as follows:
Se licenció en Derecho por la Universidad de Barcelona (1989-1994) y es profesora de Derecho Constitucional en la de Universidad de Girona. Estudió el cuarto curso de Derecho en la Victoria University de Manchester (Reino Unido) y entre 1994 y 1996 realizó el programa de Doctorado en Derecho de la Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona y obtiene la Matrícula de Honor Cum Laude en el trabajo de investigación "El Federalismo a través de la Carta canadiense de Derechos y Libertades de 1982". Amplió estudios de postgrado en Osgoode Hay Law School, en Toronto (Canadá), en la Universidad de Kingston, en la universidad Laval, en Québec (Canadá), y en la Universidad de Montreal (Canadá).
Louisa
16 Apr 2008, 10:19
Thankyou Editor...muy pronto!!

Do you feel a little safer now Er Guiri?

?Y tu, Reorem?

Louisa (Federal Guardian - ji-ji)
llsrsj
16 Apr 2008, 12:52
Encuesta

¿Debe abortar Carmen Chacón para ser coherente con su jefe?

Si

No
mark
18 Apr 2008, 20:39
actually, there is some severe incoherence in her cv. just stick to the figures, i.e.: 4 yrs LLB + minimum 2 yrs for a real PhD + 4 postgraduate courses, normally 1 yr each, totalling 4 yrs. what about professorship? is it so simple to be a professor in a spanish university? anyhow, chacon's studies in law - failing to include professorship - total 10 years in the best scenario. her political career sums up 8-9 years. so, 18-19 yrs at best spent just studying law and gibbering on politics. what about: primary, secondary and high school (some 12 yrs)? 12 + 8 + 8 (to be generous) = 28. nursery school? living life, i.e., partying (only sometime, of course), boyfriends - at least 1! etc? and she's only 37. does anyone spot any squeaking inconsistency? btw, it appears that being a government minister in spain is even easier than being a professor. mark
Josè
19 Apr 2008, 11:37
Verguenza me da de ser español, una ministra de defensa que hace cuatro años y pico decia que era antimilitarista y anti española.
editor
20 Apr 2008, 11:16
This profile has been updated to include details of Carme Chacón's wedding in 2007.
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