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More women than men in the new Zapatero cabinet
By h.b. - Apr 13, 2008 - 8:38 AM
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The nine women in the new Zapatero cabinet. From top left, Maria Teresa Fernández de la Vega, Carme Chacón, Magdalena Álvarez, Mercedes Cabrera, Elena Espinosa, Elena Salgado, Beatriz Corredor, Cristina Garmendia and Bibiana Aído - Photos EFE
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The Prime Minister said he was proud to have more women than men in his new cabinet, which has seen the creation of new ministries and departments to face the second Zapatero legislature.
The names in the new cabinet were announced by Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, on Saturday and will be approved on Monday in the first Cabinet meeting of the new legislature after the members have all be sworn in before the King. It will be quite a complicated process this time round as some Secretaries of State will have to be moved from one Ministry to another as new departments are created, and some of the new designations do not as yet have their own offices.

For example Education now separates from Science and becomes part of Social Policy and Sport. This will also include the policies on the family, including infancy and the development of the new dependency law.

At 31 Bibiano Aido is the youngest minister in the time of democracy in Spain - Photo EFE
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For the first time there are more women than men in the cabinet, a visible demonstration of the Prime Minister’s commitment to parity in government. That is also underlined by the creation of a Ministry for Equality, which will be headed by Bibiana Aido, from Cádiz, who at 31 becomes the youngest minister seen in the democracy in Spain. She will also have the task of fighting against domestic violence and is already well known on Internet social websites as being an enthusiast for new technologies.

There are four more new faces in the cabinet – Cristina Garmendia as Minister for Innovation, Miguel Sebastián in Industry, Celestino Corbacho in Employment, which is now renamed Employment and Immigration, and Beatriz Corredor in Housing.

El País commented on Sunday that the new man of influence in the cabinet is Miguel Sebastián. Long time close friend to the Prime Minister he was defeated as the Socialist candidate for Mayor of Madrid and will now have considerable power as Minister for Industry where he is expected to have a say on Economic matters. He has not always seen eye to eye with the Economy Minister, Pedro Solbes, however. El País says he had a considerable input in the designing of the new Zapatero cabinet.

The Prime Ministers most experienced collaborators remain where they were, María Teresa Fernández de la Vega, as Deputy Prime Minister, and Pedro Solbes as Minister for Tax and the Economy.

Carme Chacón is the woman finally revealed to lead the Ministry of Defence in what is also recognition for the Socialist party in Cataluña for the number one candidate from Barcelona. She comes in as someone completely without military experience and is also just over seven months pregnant. It will be interesting to watch what happens there.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero swearing his position before the King on Saturday - Photo EFE
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Other Ministers who repeat in their posts are Elena Espinosa in Environment but sees the absorption of the previously separated Ministry for Agriculture and will have a new emphasis on sustainable development, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba who stays at the Ministry for the Interior, Miguel Angel Moratinos who is in Foreign Affairs, Bernat Soria in Health, César Antonio Molina in Culture, Elena Salgado in Public Administration, Mariano Fernández Bermejo stays as Minister for Justice, despite some severe criticism Magdalena Álvarez remains as Development Minister, and Mercedes Cabrera repeats as Minister for Education.

The Prime Minister has outlined three key objectives for this new team in the new legislature – the fight against the economic slowdown and the promotion of new technology, the fight against climate change, and the promotion of the equality of women in both the social environment and workplace.

José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said he was very proud to have named more women than men in his cabinet. He said that there were still far fewer women in the positions of power in the country outside politics, and this was going to end.

The Prime Minister also had words of praise for Jesús Caldera who leaves the team at the Ministry for Employment, describing his time there as excellent as he oversaw the new equality and dependency laws.

During this week Typically Spanish will be providing new profiles on all the members of the cabinet – found under our Features – Profiles section.


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