José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero (Spanish: [xoseˈlwis roˈðɾiɣeθ θapaˈteɾo] ⓘ; born 4 August 1960) is a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He was the Prime Minister of Spain being elected for two terms, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he would not stand for re-election in the 2011 general election and left office on 21 December 2011.
The Most Excellent José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero | |
|---|---|
Rodríguez Zapatero in 2011 | |
| Prime Minister of Spain | |
| In office 17 April 2004 – 21 December 2011 | |
| Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
| 1st Deputy | María Teresa Fernández de la Vega Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba Elena Salgado |
| 2nd Deputy | Pedro Solbes Elena Salgado Manuel Chaves |
| 3rd Deputy | Manuel Chaves |
| Preceded by | José María Aznar |
| Succeeded by | Mariano Rajoy |
| Secretary-General of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party | |
| In office 22 July 2000 – 4 February 2012 | |
| President | Manuel Chaves |
| Deputy | José Blanco |
| Preceded by | Joaquín Almunia |
| Succeeded by | Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 22 July 2000 – 16 April 2004 | |
| Monarch | Juan Carlos I |
| Prime Minister | José María Aznar |
| Preceded by | Luis Martínez Noval |
| Succeeded by | Mariano Rajoy |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| In office 24 March 2004 – 27 September 2011 | |
| Constituency | Madrid |
| In office 9 July 1986 – 2 August 2004 | |
| Constituency | León |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 August 1960 Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain |
| Political party | PSOE (since 1979) |
| Spouse |
Sonsoles Espinosa
(m. 1990) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of León |
| Signature | |
Among the main actions taken by the Zapatero administration were the withdrawal of Spanish troops from the Iraq war, the increase of Spanish troops in Afghanistan; the idea of an Alliance of Civilizations; the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Spain; reform of abortion law; a peace negotiation attempt with ETA; the end of ETA terrorism; increase of tobacco restrictions; and the reform of various autonomous statutes, particularly the Statute of Catalonia.