Mariano Rajoy

Mariano Rajoy
Born	Mariano Rajoy Brey 27 3, 1955
Birthplace	Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Occupation	Politician, property registrar
Title	Prime Minister of Spain
Known for	Prime Minister of Spain (2011–2018), President of the People's Party (2004–2018)
Education	University of Santiago de Compostela (Law degree, 1977)
Spouse(s)	Elvira Fernández Balboa
Children	2

Mariano Rajoy Brey (born 27 March 1955) is a Spanish politician who served as Prime Minister of Spain from 21 December 2011 to 1 June 2018. A central figure in Spanish conservative politics for more than three decades, Rajoy led the People's Party (Partido Popular, PP) as its president from 2004 to 2018 and held a continuous succession of ministerial posts under Prime Minister José María Aznar from 1996 to 2004. At nearly fifteen years of cumulative government service, he was the longest-serving politician in the Spanish government since the country's transition to democracy. Born in Santiago de Compostela and trained as a lawyer and property registrar, Rajoy entered politics during Spain's democratic transition and rose steadily through regional and national office. His premiership was defined by the severe economic crisis that gripped Spain from 2008 onward, a sweeping restructuring of the country's banking system, and the politically explosive 2017 Catalan independence crisis. On 1 June 2018, he became the first sitting Spanish prime minister to be removed by a motion of no confidence, after which he retired from active politics.

Early Life

Mariano Rajoy Brey was born on 27 March 1955 in Santiago de Compostela, the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. His father was Mariano Rajoy Sobredo, a judge, and his mother was Olga Brey López. Growing up in Galicia during the later years of the Francisco Franco dictatorship, Rajoy was raised in a family with connections to the legal and administrative professions. As a young man in the 1970s, he was briefly associated with the Spanish National Union (Unión Nacional Española), a right-wing political organization, before the broader political landscape shifted dramatically with Spain's transition to democracy following Franco's death in 1975.

Rajoy studied law at the University of Santiago de Compostela, graduating in 1977, two years after the end of the Franco regime and as Spain was embarking on its constitutional transition. Following his legal studies, he pursued a career in property registration, passing the rigorous civil service examinations required for the position. In 1979, at the age of 24, he became one of the youngest property registrars (registrador de la propiedad) in Spain, a notable achievement in a profession that typically required years of preparation. This role provided Rajoy with both financial stability and professional standing as he began to take an increasingly active role in conservative politics during the formative years of Spain's new democracy.

Education

Rajoy attended the University of Santiago de Compostela, one of Galicia's most prominent institutions of higher education, where he studied law. He graduated with a law degree in 1977. His legal training formed the basis for his subsequent career as a property registrar and later informed his approach to governance, particularly in matters relating to public administration and regulatory policy. The university, founded in 1495, had a long tradition of producing political and legal figures in Galicia and across Spain.

Career

Early Political Career in Galicia (1981–1989)

Rajoy began his political career in Galicia during Spain's transition to democracy. He initially joined the People's Alliance (Alianza Popular, AP), the principal conservative party of the era, which later became the People's Party in 1989. His first significant political appointment came in 1981 when he entered the regional government of Galicia.

In June 1983, Rajoy was appointed President of the Deputation of Pontevedra (Diputación de Pontevedra), the provincial governing body of Pontevedra province, a post he held until December 1986. During this period, he established himself as a competent administrator within Galician conservative politics. In the 1986 Spanish general elections, Rajoy was elected as a member of the Congress of Deputies representing the province of Pontevedra. However, he shortly resigned his seat later that year when he was appointed Vice President of Galicia under the presidency of Gerardo Fernández Albor, serving in that capacity from 4 November 1986 to 26 September 1987.

In the 1989 general elections, Rajoy was again elected to the Congress of Deputies from Pontevedra, a seat he would hold continuously—later representing Madrid from 2004 onward—until his departure from politics in 2018. By 1989, the People's Alliance had formally reconstituted itself as the People's Party under the leadership of José María Aznar, and Rajoy became a prominent figure within the new party's national structures.

Ministerial Career Under Aznar (1996–2004)

When the People's Party won the 1996 general elections and José María Aznar became Prime Minister, Rajoy entered the national government. Over the following eight years, he held a remarkable succession of ministerial positions that gave him experience across a wide range of policy areas and made him one of the most prominent figures in the Aznar government.

Rajoy's first ministerial appointment was as Minister of Public Administrations, a post he held from 6 May 1996 to 19 January 1999. In this role, he oversaw the management of Spain's civil service and the country's complex system of autonomous communities. He subsequently served as Minister of Education and Culture from January 1999 to April 2000.

Following the People's Party's landslide victory in the 2000 general elections, in which the party won an absolute majority, Rajoy was elevated to the position of First Deputy Prime Minister (Vicepresidente Primero) on 28 April 2000, succeeding Francisco Álvarez Cascos. He initially combined this role with that of Minister of the Presidency. From February 2001 to July 2002, he served as Minister of the Interior, a sensitive portfolio that included responsibility for internal security and Spain's ongoing struggle against the Basque separatist group ETA. In July 2002, he was appointed Minister of the Presidency and Spokesperson of the Government, positions he held until September 2003.

In September 2003, Aznar designated Rajoy as his preferred successor to lead the People's Party into the upcoming general elections, appointing him Secretary-General of the party. Rajoy held this position from 4 September 2003 to 2 October 2004, when he formally became President of the People's Party.

2004 Election Defeat and Opposition (2004–2011)

The March 2004 general elections were overshadowed by the devastating Madrid train bombings of 11 March 2004, which killed 193 people just three days before polling day. The Aznar government's initial insistence that ETA was responsible for the attacks, despite growing evidence of jihadist involvement, generated significant public anger. The People's Party under Rajoy's candidacy narrowly lost to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.

Despite the defeat, Rajoy was elected President of the People's Party at the party congress on 2 October 2004, succeeding Aznar. He assumed the role of Leader of the Opposition and set about rebuilding the party for the next electoral cycle. In the 2008 general elections, the People's Party improved its results but was again defeated by Zapatero's Socialists, marking Rajoy's second consecutive failure to win the premiership. Some voices within the party called for a change in leadership, but Rajoy maintained his grip on the party organization and continued as opposition leader as Spain plunged into a severe economic crisis beginning in late 2008.

The BBC characterized Rajoy during this period as "the patient man of Spanish politics," noting his ability to survive electoral defeats and internal party challenges while waiting for the political winds to shift in his favor.

Prime Minister: First Term (2011–2015)

Election and Inauguration

By 2011, Spain was mired in one of the worst economic crises in its modern history. The global financial crisis of 2008 had hit Spain particularly hard, triggering the collapse of a massive real estate bubble and exposing deep vulnerabilities in the country's banking system. With unemployment soaring and public finances deteriorating, the Zapatero government called early elections. Rajoy and the People's Party won a decisive majority in the November 2011 general elections, and Rajoy was sworn in as Prime Minister on 21 December 2011, succeeding Zapatero. His deputy was Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, who served as Vice President throughout his time in office.

Economic Crisis and Austerity

Rajoy's first term was dominated by the 2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis. Upon taking office, he inherited an economy in severe distress, with unemployment already at historically high levels and the national deficit far exceeding European Union limits. His government implemented a programme of fiscal consolidation and austerity measures aimed at reducing the deficit and restoring investor confidence in Spain's sovereign debt.

A major component of Rajoy's economic programme was a sweeping labour reform enacted in 2012, which made it easier for employers to hire and fire workers, reduced severance pay, and gave companies greater flexibility in setting wages and working conditions. The reform was deeply controversial, provoking large-scale protests and general strikes, but the government argued it was necessary to address Spain's structural unemployment problem.

The crisis peaked in June 2012 when Spain was forced to request a bailout of its banking system from the European Union, receiving up to €100 billion in assistance to recapitalize its troubled financial institutions. The restructuring of the Spanish banking system, which involved the consolidation and closure of numerous savings banks (cajas de ahorro), was one of the defining policy achievements of the Rajoy government. Unemployment in Spain reached approximately 27% in 2012, the highest rate in the European Union at the time and one of the highest levels recorded in any developed economy since the Great Depression.

Corruption Scandals

The People's Party's popularity, already strained by the economic crisis and austerity measures, was further damaged by a series of corruption revelations that emerged beginning in early 2013. These included allegations of undisclosed payments to senior party members, which led to intense public scrutiny and calls for Rajoy's resignation. Rajoy denied wrongdoing and resisted demands to step down, but the scandals significantly eroded public trust in the People's Party.

The affair generated sustained media coverage throughout the summer of 2013, with the opposition Socialist leader Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba calling for Rajoy's immediate resignation. In July 2013, Rajoy appeared before the Congress of Deputies to address the corruption allegations, maintaining that the accounts attributed to the party were false. A citizens' association called Democracia Real Ya (DRY) also filed a criminal complaint against 63 members of parliament, including People's Party deputies, over alleged irregularities in the collection of parliamentary allowances.

Transformation of the Party System

The combined effects of the economic crisis, austerity measures, and corruption scandals contributed to a profound transformation of Spain's party system, which had been dominated by the two-party alternation of the People's Party and the PSOE since the 1980s. Two new parties emerged as significant political forces: Podemos, a left-wing populist movement founded in 2014, and Ciudadanos (Citizens), a centrist party that expanded from its Catalan base to national prominence. The rise of these parties ended the effective two-party system and introduced an era of coalition politics and parliamentary fragmentation that would complicate Rajoy's path to a second term.

Second Term and the Catalan Crisis (2016–2018)

Inconclusive Elections and Government Formation

The December 2015 general elections resulted in an inconclusive outcome, with the People's Party winning the most seats but falling far short of a majority. After months of political deadlock and a failed attempt by the Socialists to form a government, new elections were held in June 2016. Rajoy's People's Party again won the most seats and, after protracted negotiations, he was invested as Prime Minister in October 2016 with the abstention of a significant portion of Socialist deputies—a controversial decision within the PSOE that led to the temporary ousting of Pedro Sánchez as the party's leader.

The 2017 Catalan Independence Crisis

The most acute political crisis of Rajoy's second term was the Catalan independence movement, which culminated in the events of late 2017. The Government of Catalonia, led by President Carles Puigdemont, organized an independence referendum on 1 October 2017, which the Spanish government and the Constitutional Court declared illegal. The referendum went ahead despite a significant police operation to prevent it, with images of Spanish police forcibly preventing voters from accessing polling stations provoking international criticism.

On 27 October 2017, the Catalan parliament voted to declare independence from Spain. Rajoy's government responded by invoking Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which had never been used before, imposing direct rule on Catalonia, dismissing the Catalan government, and dissolving the regional parliament. New Catalan elections were called for December 2017. Several Catalan political leaders were subsequently arrested or fled into exile.

No-Confidence Vote and Removal from Office

In May 2018, the Audiencia Nacional (National Court) issued a ruling in a major corruption case known as the Gürtel case, which involved a kickbacks-for-contracts scheme within the People's Party. The court's judgment stated that the People's Party had benefited from the corrupt network, although Rajoy himself was not charged. The ruling provided the immediate catalyst for Pedro Sánchez, who had regained the leadership of the PSOE, to table a motion of no confidence against Rajoy.

On 1 June 2018, the Congress of Deputies voted 180–169 in favor of the no-confidence motion. The motion was supported by the PSOE, Podemos, and several smaller regional parties. It was the first successful motion of no confidence in Spain's democratic history. Rajoy thus became the first sitting prime minister to be removed from office by parliamentary vote. In his final address to Congress before the vote, Rajoy stated: "It has been an honour to be prime minister of Spain."

Pedro Sánchez was sworn in as Prime Minister the following day, despite the PSOE holding only 84 seats in the 350-seat Congress—the lowest number of seats from which any party had governed in Spain's democratic history.

Retirement from Politics

Four days after his removal from office, on 5 June 2018, Rajoy announced his resignation as President of the People's Party. He formally left the party presidency on 21 July 2018 and was succeeded by Pablo Casado, who won the subsequent party leadership election. Rajoy also relinquished his seat in the Congress of Deputies, ending a parliamentary career that had begun in 1986. He subsequently returned to his original profession as a property registrar, registering at the property registry in Santa Pola, Alicante.

Personal Life

Mariano Rajoy is married to Elvira Fernández Balboa, known publicly as Viri. The couple has two sons. Throughout his political career, Rajoy was noted for maintaining a relatively private personal life compared to other Spanish political figures. He is a known fan of association football and cycling, and has expressed his support for the Deportivo de La Coruña football club and Real Madrid.

Rajoy's father, Mariano Rajoy Sobredo, was a judge, and his family background in the legal profession influenced his own career trajectory in law and public administration. His mother, Olga Brey López, was also from Galicia.

Recognition

During his tenure as Prime Minister, Rajoy met with numerous heads of state and government as part of Spain's diplomatic engagements. In July 2016, he held a joint meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama in Madrid, during which the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and international security matters.

Rajoy's long political career earned him recognition as one of the most significant figures in post-transition Spanish politics. His tenure as leader of the People's Party from 2004 to 2018 made him the longest-serving leader of the party, and his cumulative time in government from 1996 to 2004 and again from 2011 to 2018 represented nearly fifteen continuous years of executive service.

Legacy

Mariano Rajoy's legacy in Spanish politics is complex and contested. His supporters credit him with leading Spain through the severe financial crisis that threatened the country's economic stability and its position within the eurozone. Under his government, the Spanish banking system was restructured, fiscal discipline was restored, and the economy eventually returned to growth, with unemployment beginning a sustained decline from its 2012 peak. The labour reform of 2012, though controversial at the time, was credited by some economists and European institutions with contributing to the subsequent recovery in employment.

His critics, however, point to the social costs of the austerity measures implemented under his watch—including deep cuts to public spending on healthcare, education, and social services—as well as the persistence of high unemployment and rising inequality. The corruption scandals that plagued the People's Party during his leadership severely damaged the party's reputation and contributed to the fragmentation of the Spanish party system, ending the era of stable two-party governance that had characterized Spain since the 1980s.

Rajoy's handling of the Catalan independence crisis remains one of the most debated aspects of his premiership. While his government's invocation of Article 155 of the Constitution was supported by many Spaniards and by the main opposition party as a necessary defense of constitutional order, critics argued that his refusal to engage in political dialogue with Catalan authorities contributed to the escalation of the crisis.

The New York Times, reporting on his ouster, noted that "during more than a decade on the front line of Spanish politics, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy withstood electoral defeats" before finally being removed from office. The BBC described him as "the patient man of Spanish politics," a characterization that captured both his political resilience and his methodical, often cautious approach to governance.