Joan Ignasi Elena | |
---|---|
Minister of the Interior of Catalonia | |
In office 26 May 2021 –12 August 2024 | |
President | Pere Aragonès |
Preceded by | Miquel Sàmper |
Succeeded by | Núria Parlón |
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia | |
In office 17 December 2012 –30 September 2014 | |
Succeeded by | Sergi Vilamala i Bastarras |
Constituency | Barcelona |
In office 28 February 1994 –26 September 1995 | |
Preceded by | Antoni Castells |
Constituency | Barcelona |
Mayor of Vilanova i la Geltrú | |
In office 14 July 2005 –11 June 2011 | |
Preceded by | Sixte Moral i Reixach |
Succeeded by | Neus Lloveras i Massana |
Member of Vilanova i la GeltrúMunicipal Council | |
In office 1999–2011 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Joan Ignasi Elena i Garcia 27 June 1968 Barcelona,Catalonia,Spain |
Citizenship | Spanish |
Political party | Avancem |
Alma mater | University of Barcelona |
Occupation | Lawyer |
Joan Ignasi Elena i Garcia (born 27 June 1968) is a Spanish lawyer and politician from Catalonia,former member of the Parliament of Catalonia and the current Minister of the Interior of Catalonia.
Elena was born on 27 June 1968 in Barcelona,Catalonia. [1] [2] He has a degree in law from the University of Barcelona. [1] He joined the Socialist Youth of Catalonia (Joventut Socialista de Catalunya) in 1983 and was its first secretary from 1991 to 1993. [1] [3] He joined the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) in 1986 and was a youth councillor in Horta-Guinardó from 1987 to 1991. [1]
Elena is a lawyer specialising in employment and copyright law. [3] [4]
At the 1992 regional election Elena was placed 30th on PSC's list of candidates in the Province of Barcelona but the party only managed to win 27 seats in the province and as a result he failed to get elected. [5] [6] However,in February 1994,he was appointed to the Parliament of Catalonia following the resignation of Antoni Castells. [7] At the 1995 regional election he was placed 30th on PSC's list of candidates in the Province of Barcelona but the party only managed to win 22 seats in the province and as a result he failed to get re-elected. [8] [9] At the 1999 regional election Elena was placed 39th on the Socialists' Party of Catalonia-Citizens for Change electoral alliance's list of candidates in the Province of Barcelona but the party only managed to win 36 seats in the province and as a result he failed to get elected. [10] [11]
Elena contested the 1999 local elections as a Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Municipal Progress electoral alliance candidate in Vilanova i la Geltrú and was elected. [12] [13] He was re-elected at the 2003 local elections. [14] [15] He succeeded Sixte Moral i Reixach as Mayor of Vilanova i la Geltrúin 2005. [3] He was re-elected at the 2007 local elections. [16] [17]
At the PSC's 12th congress in December 2011 Elena ran for the leadership of the party but was resoundingly defeated by Pere Navarro,receiving 187 votes (25%) to Navarro's 545 votes (73%). [18] In June 2012 Elena and other PSC members supportive of a referendum in Catalan independence formed Avancem. [19] [20] Elena contested the 2012 regional election as PSC candidate in the Province of Barcelona and was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia. [21] [22] In January 2013 five PSC MPs (Elena,Marina Geli,Rocío Martínez-Sampere,Àngel Ros and Núria Ventura) did not vote on the Parliamentary Catalan Declaration of Sovereignty,going against party policy to oppose the declaration. [23] [24]
In January 2014 Elena,Geli and Ventura went against PSC policy and supported a motion in the Parliament of Catalonia asking the Congress of Deputies for the power to hold a consultation on the possibility of Catalan independence. [25] [26] The party leadership requested the three dissident MPs to resign from Parliament. [27] [28] The trio were stripped of the party positions in Parliament and relegated to backbenchers. [29] [30] Elena resigned from the Socialists Group in Parliament in July 2014 and in September 2014 joined the Mixed Group. [31] [32] He resigned from Parliament in September 2014. [33] Avancem formally split from PSC in June 2014 and started discussions with New Catalan Left about forming an alliance but these discussions collapsed in November 2014. [34] [35]
In December 2016,the Government of Catalonia established the National Pact for the Referendum (Pacte Nacional pel Referèndum) to bring together those who favoured holding a referendum on Catalan independence in agreement with the Spanish state. [2] Elena was appointed chair of the organisation. [4] [36] In March 2017 Elena presented a petition signed by 500,000 supporting a referendum but the Spanish government refused to consider a referendum on self-determination. [2] In July 2017 he was interviewed by the Civil Guard investigating preparations for the proposed unilateral referendum. [2] [37]
During the Trial of Catalonia independence leaders Elena acted as Republican Left of Catalonia's legal co-ordinator and accompanied the defendants during their defence in court. [2] [38] During the 2018 Catalan government formation,he was nominated by ERC to be Minister of Health but ultimately wasn't appointed by President Quim Torra due to the need to balance the distribution of portfolios amongst the coalition partners. [2]
On 26 May 2021 he was sworn in as Minister of the Interior in the new government of President Pere Aragonès. [39] [40] [41]
Election | Constituency | Party | Alliance | No. | Result | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1992 regional [5] [6] | Province of Barcelona | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | 30 | Not elected | |||
1995 regional [8] [9] | Province of Barcelona | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | 30 | Not elected | |||
1999 local [12] [13] | Vilanova i la Geltrú | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | Socialists' Party of Catalonia-Municipal Progress | 7 | Elected | ||
1999 regional [10] [11] | Province of Barcelona | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | Socialists' Party of Catalonia-Citizens for Change | 39 | Not elected | ||
2003 local [14] [15] | Vilanova i la Geltrú | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | Socialists' Party of Catalonia-Municipal Progress | 5 | Elected | ||
2007 local [16] [17] | Vilanova i la Geltrú | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | Socialists' Party of Catalonia-Municipal Progress | 1 | Elected | ||
2012 regional [21] [22] | Province of Barcelona | Socialists' Party of Catalonia | 4 | Elected |
Josep Bargallói Valls is a Spanish teacher and politician from Catalonia and the current Minister of Education of Catalonia.
The 2003 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday,16 November 2003,to elect the 7th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
The 1999 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday,17 October 1999,to elect the 6th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
New Catalan Left was a Catalanist and pro-independence political party founded in December 2012 as a split from the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) by Ernest Maragall,brother of former Catalan president Pasqual Maragall. In November 2014,the party was merged into the Left Movement (MES).
The 2021 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday,14 February 2021,to elect the 13th/14th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
Joaquim Torra i Pla,known as Quim Torra,is a Catalan lawyer and journalist from Spain. He served as President of the Government of Catalonia from 17 May 2018 to 28 September 2020,when the Supreme Court of Spain confirmed a court ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia condemning him for disobeying the Central Electoral Board during the April 2019 general election,leading to his disqualification from office.
Pere Aragonès i Garcia is a Catalan lawyer and former politician who served as President of the Government of Catalonia from 2021 to 2024. He previously served between 2018 and 2021 as Vice President and Minister of Economy and Finance of Catalonia,as well as Acting President between September 2020 and May 2021. He is a member of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) political party.
DamiàCalvet i Valera is a Spanish politician from Catalonia and who served as Minister of Territory and Sustainability of Catalonia between 2018 and 2021.
Chakir El Homrani Lesfar is a Spanish-Moroccan trade unionist,politician Minister of Labour,Social Affairs and Family of Catalonia between 2018 and 2021.
Ernest Maragall i Mira is a Spanish economist,politician,member of the Parliament of Catalonia and former Minister of Foreign Action,Institutional Relations and Transparency of Catalonia. He was previously Minister of Education,a member of the European Parliament and a member of Barcelona City Council (BCC).
Alba Vergés i Bosch is a Catalan economist and politician who is current serving as the First Vice President of the Parliament of Catalonia since 2021 and as Acting President of the Parliament of Catalonia from July 2022 until June 2023,when she was succeeded by Anna Erra.
Carles Campuzano i Canadès is a Catalan politician and a former member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain and the Parliament of Catalonia.
Lluís Maria Corominas i Díaz is a Catalan lawyer,politician and a former member of the Parliament of Catalonia. He is currently awaiting trial on charges of disobedience for his role in the Catalan declaration of independence.
Meritxell Budói Pla is a Spanish politician and pharmacist from Catalonia. Budówas Minister of the Presidency and Government Spokesman of Catalonia between 2019 and 2021. She is the mayor of La Garriga.
Gerard Gómez del Moral i Fuster is a Spanish journalist and politician from Catalonia who serves as Member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. Previously,he has served as member of the Parliament of Catalonia.
Joan Josep Nuet i Pujals is a Spanish politician from Catalonia who previously served as Member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He was previously a member of the Senate of Spain and the Parliament of Catalonia.
Bernat Soléi Barril is a Spanish industrial engineer and politician from Catalonia,member of the Parliament of Catalonia and Minister of Foreign Action,Institutional Relations and Transparency of Catalonia between 2020 and 2021. He was previously mayor of Agramunt. He is currently awaiting trial on charges of disobedience for his role in the Catalan declaration of independence.
Laura Vilagrài Pons is a Spanish politician from Catalonia,member of the Parliament of Catalonia and the current Minister of the Presidency of Catalonia.
Francesca Violant Cervera i Gòdia is a Spanish politician from Catalonia,former member of the Parliament of Catalonia and the current Minister of Social Rights of Catalonia.
Gemma Geis i Carreras is a Spanish academic and politician from Catalonia,former member of the regional Parliament of Catalonia and Catalan minister of Research and Universities of Catalonia between 2021 and 2022.